Who is Professor Sir Huw Thomas? The experienced doctor who oversaw the Queen's care in her final days
LONDON, ENGLAND: Professor Sir Huw Thomas has been the head of the Royal medical household since 2014. He was responsible for looking after Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family. It was Huw who raised concerns over Queen Elizabeth II's health after his morning consultation on Thursday, September 8.
According to the Daily Mail, Sir Huw is a consultant at St Mary's Hospital in London and was knighted last year in what was understood to be a personal thank you from the Queen for his years of taking care of her and the royal family.
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The experienced doc is also a professor of gastrointestinal genetics at Imperial College London's department of surgery and cancer. Meanwhile, he has also been involved in the delivery of some of the youngest members of the royal family. According to reports, it was Huw who suggested the Queen avoid high-profile engagements recently, which included the Opening of Parliament in May, which was the first time she missed it in 59 years. She also missed many of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
In an interview with Imperial College, he stated it was a surprise to be knighted, "It was a very nice surprise! I’ve been working in the Royal Medical Household for 15 years and I’ve been Head of the Medical Household for the past seven years. It's been a busy couple of years in this role, so I feel very grateful to have been recognised for my service to date." stated Sir Huw. He also added, "the nature of the work is interesting because you see how a whole different organisation, the Royal Household, operates. You very much become part of that organisation and become the personal doctor to the principal people in it, who are patients just like other patients. With the pandemic, the key priority of the Medical Household is trying to make sure that the people under its care are kept safe."
Sir Huw's job is not a full-time responsibility and he sees the Queen as and when it is needed. He began working in the Royal Medical Household in 2006 and was appointed its head eight years ago. He was also part of the team who looked after the Duchess of Cambridge when she gave birth to daughter Charlotte in 2015 and youngest son Louis in 2018 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. Sir Huw is also popular for his research work especially for his tie-up with Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) in the late 1980s where he helped scientists at ICRF to map the location of the bowel cancer gene APC to chromosome 5.