A Welsh war surgeon has told of the touching moment the Queen helped soothe his trauma by letting him pet her corgis days after he arrived home from Syria. Over the last 30 years David Nott has worked in some of the most infamous conflict zones in the world including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Chad, Liberia, Iraq, Libya, Haiti, and Gaza. He most recently visited Ukraine to share his expertise there.
A consultant surgeon at Royal Marsden, St Mary's, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals in London, Dr Nott gave up several months each year to volunteer in warzones and amid major humanitarian crises. Over the decades he has volunteered for the likes of Medecins Sans Frontieres and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He recalled in his memoir, War Doctor, that in the week following his time in Aleppo he met with the Queen for lunch at Buckingham Palace. When she asked him about his experience in the Syrian city Dr Nott said he became overwhelmed by trauma. Sensing his pain the Queen dealt with the encounter deftly and with great care.
