Queen Elizabeth's Doctor Dies in Tragic Cycling Accident in London
Queen Elizabeth’s longtime doctor has died in a tragic road accident in London.
Peter Fisher — a physician to the Queen for around 17 years — was killed when his bicycle collided with a truck in High Holborn, Central London, at around 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The driver of the truck stopped at the scene and is currently assisting the Metropolitan Police with their investigation. The incident occurred on national Cycle to Work Day in Britain.
Buckingham Palace confirmed to PEOPLE that the Queen has been informed of Fisher’s death but had no further comment to make.
“He was much respected as a good doctor who saw homeopathy as complementary to medical care,” Sir Marcus Setchell, former surgeon-gynecologist to the Queen, told the London Evening Standard about the death of his colleague. “We are all shocked by his tragic loss.”
Gill Gaskin, medical director at University College Hospital, London — where Fisher, 67, worked for more than 35 years within The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) — added that staff were “shocked and saddened” at his death.
“Peter was a highly regarded colleague and friend of many at the RLHIM,” Gaskin added in the written statement. “He was committed to holistic and compassionate care for his patients.”
“He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and patients alike.”
The royal family has used homeopathy (a holistic, natural approach to medicine) for generations. In 1920, the Duke of York, later King George VI, became patron of RLHIM, while Frederic Quin, who founded the hospital in 1849, was once physician to Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s father-in-law. The Queen continued her father’s patronage when she assumed the throne in 1953 and Prince Charles is known to be a big fan of using alternative therapies to treat both himself and his farm animals.
During his life, Fisher combined homeopathy and other forms of complementary medicine with conventional medicine, specializing in the treatment of rheumatological complaints including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and soft tissue syndromes such as fibromyalgia.
He also treated skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis and a range of general medical problems for both NHS and private patients.
“It is with deep sadness that Pete’s family and friends would like to recognize and honor the loving man, father, son and dear friend who has been tragically taken from us,” his family said in a statement released through Scotland Yard.
“He was devoted to his cause, a global authority in his field. We are all devastated by his sudden loss, as he had touched deeply so many of our lives.”
Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are currently investigating the incident. No arrests have so far been made.
