“Maximum service, comfort and security” for Charles and Camilla as they travel to France

Charles III is about to pay his first visit to France, his second visit to any state. Earlier this year, he has already visited Germany. Originally, France had been first on his list but the event was cancelled in view of the violent protests that rocked the country at the time. Now he is definitely expected and the French are exited. I am currently in France and have been asked to give several interviews on the king’s love affair with so-called alternative medicine (SCAM).

The French have long been fascinated by our royal family which seems a bit odd considering what they did to their own. Now that Charles and Camilla are about to appear with an entourage of about 50 servants between them, the press is full with slightly bemused reports and comments:

Since childhood, Charles has been accustomed to a luxurious, gilded life, which is reproduced on every trip outside the royal palaces, to ensure maximum service, comfort and security… The new king always travels with his private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, his press advisor, his steward, his doctor, his personal valets, his security guards, and his private chauffeur, Tim Williams… And, of course, his regular osteopath to relieve his lower back. Since he’s had a lot of falls playing polo, Charles regularly suffers from back pain…”.

Really, just an osteopath?

What about all the other SCAM-practitioners whose businesses Charles so regularly supported in the past:

• · Acupuncture
• · Aromatherapy
• · Ayurveda
• · Chiropractic
• · Detox
• · Gerson therapy
• · Herbal medicine
• · Homeopathy
• · Iridology
• · Marma massage
• · Massage therapy
• · Pulse diagnosis
• · Reflexology
• · Tongue diagnosis
• · Traditional Chinese Medicine
• · Yoga

Will they not be disappointed?

I do wonder who Charles’ osteopath and doctor are. Are they competent? I am sure they both must be well-informed and evidence-based experts. If that is the case, they will have, of course, told Charles that osteopathy is hardly an optimal solution for an injured back.

In any case, now I am concerned about the royal back and therefore urgently recommend that HIS MAJESTY reads some of my previous posts on the subject, e.g.:

• Manual therapy (mainly chiropractic and osteopathy) does not have clinically relevant effects on back pain compared with sham treatment
• Spinal manipulative therapy for older adults with chronic low back pain fails to generate convincing results
• NICE no longer recommends acupuncture, chiropractic or osteopathy for low back pain
• The Effects of Yoga, Naturopathy, and Conventional Medical Treatment in Managing Low Back Pain
• Chronic non-specific low back pain: comparing cognitive functional therapy and movement system impairment (MSI)-based treatment
• Cognitive functional therapy for chronic low back pain
• Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain Management?

Let’s hope all goes well here in France, and please let’s not be so akward as to ask about the environmental aspects – we all know how worried Charles truly is about not just his health but also the health of the planet – of moving such an entourage for a two-day visit.

PS

Charles flew in a private jet from London to Paris and took his Bentley with him.