The Princess of Wales is recovering in the London Clinic in Marylebone, after a successful abdominal surgery, it was revealed yesterday. She’s expected to spend between ten and fourteen days at the private Harley Street clinic, before returning home to Windsor to continue her recovery.
Meanwhile, King Charles is preparing for a medical procedure too. Buckingham Palace announced yesterday that the King would go into hospital next week for “a corrective procedure” to treat “an enlarged prostate”.
But what is it like at London Clinic, and which other hospitals and medical services are used by the royals?
The London Clinic
The London Clinic was officially opened by the then-Duke and Duchess of York in 1932, the future King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth.
It’s located in Marylebone, near other famous Harley Street Private medical clinics.
Other famous patients over the years have included Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, actress Elizabeth Taylor and future US President John F Kennedy.
Prince Philip was admitted to the clinic for what was described as 'abdominal investigations' in 2013, whilst Princess Margaret was treated there in 1980 to have a benign skin lesion removed.
Service is extremely high-end. Patients get their own concierge service whilst the hospital's chef serves fish from Cornish boats and meat from Smithfields Market.
The facility says it can treat 155 conditions, with hundreds of treatments, tests and scans available. According to the health watchdog, the hospital has about 23,000 inpatients a year.
King Edward VII’s hospital
Perhaps the most popular hospital with the royals, the King Edward VII was established in 1899. Its first patron was Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s son, and King Charles’s great-grandfather. It describes itself as "London's foremost private hospital."In 2012, Princess Kate went to St Edward VII when she was pregnant with Prince George when she had severe morning sickness, or hyperemesis gravidarum.
It was often used by Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life, including for a tooth extraction in 1982 and an operation on her knee in 2003.
In April 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh died shortly after a month-long stay at the King Edward VII Hospital. He was suffering from an infection following heart surgery at a different location.
Last year, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, had breast cancer surgery at the hospital following the detection of an early form of cancer during a routine mammogram screening.
In February 2002, Princess Margaret died at the age of 71 at the hospital, after suffering a stroke.
Service is 5*, as you would expect. The kitchen is run by head chef Clint Dsouza who oversees a restaurant-worthy menu including afternoon tea. A boutique hospital, each of the 56 private rooms has a walk-in power shower, a television and radio, plus room service. The hydrotherapy pool is one of the few in London and heated to a balmy 34 degrees celsius.
The Lindo wing
The Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital Paddington has become the place where most of the royal babies are born.
The tradition started in the late Seventies when Princess Anne gave birth to both of her children, Peter and Zara Phillips, there.
Then Princess Diana used the wing for the birth of Prince William in 1982. That made him the first heir-apparent to be born in a hospital, as all of the Queen's children were born at Buckingham Palace.
Diana also went to the Lindo for the birth of Prince Harry, and then the Princess of Wales has used the wing for the births of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Other well-known people have used the Lindo: Amal Clooney famously gave birth to her twins with George Clooney there in 2017.
At a reported cost of £5,900 per night, new mothers can enjoy in-room massages or order a glass of Champagne from the wine list.
Care outside of hospitals
The Firm also has a roster royal doctors, who generally attend to them outside hospital in their private residences.
There have been royal doctors since the 1540s, but the late Queen Elizabeth II created the role of Head of the Royal Medical Household in the Seventies. It involves taking responsibility for the health of the sovereign and the royal family, attending births and deaths, and managing a team of Buckingham Palace doctors.
Dr Michael Dixon, was given the role late in 2022. Before getting the job, he worked in the NHS for almost 50 years – he still works part-time as a GP at a surgery in Devon.
Dr Dixon is controversial – he has previously spoken in favour of homeopathic remedies and faith healing. Christian healers, however “unfashionable”, may be able to help the chronically ill. Earlier in his life, King Charles also expressed support for homeopathy.
