King Charles under scrutiny over pro-homeopathy doctor

King Charles is facing criticism for appointing as head of the royal medical household a doctor who has advocated for homeopathic remedies and claimed that Christian healers may be able to help the chronically ill.

Dr Michael Dixon, "a champion of faith healing and herbalism", has "quietly" held the senior position for the last year, revealed The Sunday Times.

While it is the first time the role has not included acting as the monarch's personal physician, duties include managing a team of doctors at Buckingham Palace, having overall responsibility for the health of the King and the wider royal family, "and even representing them in talks with government", said The Guardian.

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'A less orthodox choice'

A "less orthodox choice" than his predecessors, Dixon is "one of the nation's most outspoken advocates of alternative medicine, including homeopathy", said The Sunday Times.

Dixon has long championed non-traditional treatments being made available on the NHS, including "thought field therapy", aromatherapy and reflexology, and has written papers arguing that Christian healers, however "unfashionable", may be able to help the chronically ill, reported the paper. He has also claimed the effects of homeopathy "may be real", citing a test tube experiment that suggested Indian herbal cures diluted with alcohol could kill breast cancer cells, added The Sunday Times.

While Dixon is yet to personally respond to the revelations, a Palace spokesperson denied that the doctor believes homeopathy can cure cancer. "His position is that complementary therapies can sit alongside conventional treatments, provided they are safe, appropriate and evidence based," they said. The Palace described him as a "practising GP" and fellow of the Royal College of GPs and Royal College of Physicians.

'Complementary medicine means precisely what it says'

Dixon and the King, who have known each other for decades, have "both been criticised for their support for homeopathy", said The Telegraph. 

Homeopathic remedies have not been available through the NHS since 2017, after its then chief executive Lord Stevens described them as "at best a placebo and a misuse of scarce NHS funds".

News of Dixon's appointment has therefore been described as "worrying and inappropriate by academics and campaigners", The Guardian reported. Michael Marshall, project director at the Good Thinking Society, which promotes scientific scepticism, told the paper the move "isn't appropriate" and suggested the King might still be supporting complementary medicine behind the scenes.

"The whole promotion of alternative medicine undermines the trust in real medicine," said Graham Smith, chief executive of the campaign group Republic. Putting Dixon in place is "really irresponsible" and "raises questions" about the King's judgement.

The Palace said the King's position on "complementary therapies, integrated health and patient choice" was well documented when he was Prince of Wales. "In his own words: 'Nor is it about rejecting conventional medicines in favour of other treatments: the term 'complementary' medicine means precisely what it says'."