The Queen’s doctor has been killed by a lorry while cycling in a notorious Central London accident hotspot. Dr Peter Fisher, one of three official Physicians to The Queen and a renowned homeopathist, was crushed by the vehicle on Wednesday morning in High Holborn, near to the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine where he had practised for 35 years. The 67-year-old is understood to have taken up cycling to work only in the last two years and was killed on “Cycle To Work Day”, a national campaign to champion pedal power over cars. Last night campaigners said his death highlighted the deficiency of safety measures protecting cyclists from lorries. Dr Peter Fisher, pictured with the Queen in 1999, was a member of the royal medical household Credit: David Sandison/REX/Shutterstock In the last five years, four have been killed near the same spot in Holborn alone. The collision with a CCF lorry, a sub-brand of Travis Perkins, took place at about 9.30am. One eyewitness, Angei Bozianu, manager of the nearby Princess Louise pub, told the Evening Standard: “I heard a woman screaming and I looked out of the window and he was under wheel.” Dr Peter Fisher, pictured in 2016, was a leading expert in homeopathy The Metropolitan Police said the lorry driver had stopped at the scene, was not under arrest and was assisting with their enquiries. But they also appealed for witnesses to come forward. Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen had been informed. Greg white, chief executive of the Faculty of Homeopathy, said: “We have lost a leader, not just for the faculty but for homeopathy in the UK and worldwide. “It’s no exaggeration to say Peter is an irreplaceable talent. “He truly was a giant in all his fields of endeavour, which included clinician, research and academic.” A sometimes controversial figure, Dr Fisher believed passionately in the power of homeopathy, a belief that highly diluted substances can induce the body to heal itself. The practice is regarded as no better than a placebo by most of the medical profession and has now been all but banished from the NHS. Evidence markers beneath a lorry at the scene of the fatality Credit: Rob Pinney/LNP His advocacy alongside his position in the royal household attracted some criticism, but he always pointed out that homeopathists have been treating the Royal Family since the reign of Queen Victoria. However, he revealed in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in January that, three years after taking up his position in 2001, he received a “serious dressing down” from the head of the medical household, Sir Richard Thompson, for mentioning his Royal connection during a public argument about homeopathy. Sir Richard last night confirmed the incident took place but added Dr Fisher was “a very nice man” and “absolutely passionate about homeopathy”. It is understood Dr Fisher has grown-up children. Meanwhile a colleague told The Daily Telegraph: “He had a marriage behind him and was moving forward in life with a new partner. “It’s such a tragedy and a terrible irony it happened on national cycle to work day.” Emergency services at the scene of the crash in High Holborn on Wednesday morning Credit: Rob Pinney/LNP Dr Gill Gaskin, medical director for University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the umbrella body for Dr Fisher’s hospital, where he served as Director of Research, said he was: “A highly regarded colleague and friend”. Duncan Dollimore, head of campaigns at charity Cycling UK, said Dr Fisher’s death highlights why there must be greater efforts to protect riders from lorries. "That's why more needs to be done to separate cyclists from lorries in areas like Holborn, the scene of four cyclists' deaths in the last five years, and to ensure that only the safest lorries, which eliminate vehicle blind spots, are allowed into London," he said. The London Cycling Campaign intends to hold a protest in Holborn next Monday.
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