The Royal family has long been devoted to the practice of homeopathy – in fact, to this day, there is a court homeopath. Her Majesty is not only devoted to homeopathy, which she also uses on her animals, but the broader spectrum of alternative medicine – and it is said that her avoidance of illness during her 60 years on the throne is due to supplementing her conventional medical regime with herbal remedies and homeopathy.
However, it has been Prince Charles’s that has shown the most vocal support. His public devotion to alternative medicine first became clear in an address to the British Medical Association in December 1982 on the 150th anniversary of its foundation. Charles, sitting in his study at Highgrove, was struggling for inspiration on what to say and wandered over to his bookshelf, where he picked up a tome about the 16th-century physician Paracelsus.
After reading just a few pages, the ideas crystallized for what the medical profession described as a “seminal outburst.” “I have often thought that one of the less attractive traits of various professional bodies and institutions is the deeply ingrained suspicion and outright hostility which can exist towards anything unorthodox or unconventional,” he told guests. “I would suggest that the whole imposing edifice of modern medicine, for all its breathtaking successes, is like the celebrated Tower of Pisa, slightly off balance.”
Recently, there has been a surge of anti-homeopathy protests in England. Prince Charles has lobbied to defend homeopathy and insists that homeopathic treatment remain a part of the government-sponsored health care system.
Terry Pfau DO, HMD