Queen Elizabeth comes to the rescue of PTSD sufferer

By MiNDFOOD

Queen Elizabeth II on the private grounds of Windsor Castle with her corgis and dorgis.
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
Queen Elizabeth II on the private grounds of Windsor Castle with her corgis and dorgis. ANNIE LEIBOVITZ
A war surgeon has shared an incredibly touching moment between him, the Queen and her corgis.

A touching story has come to light about a truly heartwarming and compassionate moment between a war surgeon and the Queen.

During a visit to Buckingham Palace in 2014, Dr. David Nott, one of Britain’s top vascular surgeons, was due to meet with the Queen to discuss his incredible achievements. Unfortunately his experience didn’t turn out exactly as he had expected.

Having volunteered for 20 years with Doctors Without Borders and the British Red Cross, working in areas such as Sarajevo and Afghanistan, Dr. Nott’s latest stint had seen him working with gravely injured children in Syria. These experiences had left a lasting effect on him, and as he was talking with the Queen he suffered from an episode of PTSD.

“She must have detected something significant,” Dr. Nott told BBC Radio Four’s Desert Island Discs on Sunday. “I didn’t know what to say to her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak to her – I just couldn’t. She picked all this up and said, ‘Well, shall I help you?’ I thought, ‘How on earth can the Queen help me?’ ”

He went on to share the incredible story of how the Queen responded immediately; “All of a sudden the courtiers brought the corgis, and the corgis went underneath the table. And she went to one of the courtiers and said, ‘Can we open up that, please?’ So she opened up this lid and there was a load of biscuits. So she got one of the biscuits and broke it in two and said, ‘Okay, why don’t we feed the dogs?’

“And so for 20 minutes during this lunch, the Queen and I fed the dogs. She did it because she knew that I was so seriously traumatised. You know, the humanity of what she was doing was unbelievable.”

The experience brought Dr. Nott back to reality, helped him to overcome his episode and regain his strength.

“Stroking animals, touching them and feeding them – we just talked about the dogs and how many she had. She was just so warm and so wonderful. I will never forget it.”

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login