Why the King is putting his faith in his holistic healer

Traditionally, one might not have looked to the palace for the latest trends in holistic alternative therapies. But the King and Queen have become regular visitors to the Soukya resort in Bangalore, run by Dr Issac Mathai, the man who has spent years advising His Majesty on his health, and whose role is perhaps even more crucial as the King continues his treatment for cancer.

Their latest stop at the £3,000-a-week spa resort came as the monarch returned from a successful tour of Australia and Samoa. The couple broke up the return trip to the UK with a three-day break at the exclusive centre, which is set in a 30-acre organic farm, and where the natural healing treatments and activities include yoga, acupuncture, reflexology and mud therapy.

For Mathai, the centre is the culmination of a lifetime’s dedication to alternative medicine and ardent advocacy for a holistic approach to healing.

The 64-year-old father of three is the fascinating product of medical training in both the East and West. He was initially inspired by his mother – who had her own homeopathic practice in northern Kerala – and went on to study in homeopathy in Bangalore. Mathai later completed his MD postgraduate studies in London, trained in acupuncture in China, and, finally, studied “mind-body medicine” at Harvard. He practised in London for 10 years, and then, with his wife Dr Suja Issac, established the Soukya centre in 2002.

It was during the same year that he also first crossed paths with King Charles, when Mathai was working with the British Holistic Medical Association, for which the King acts a patron. They were introduced at an international conference in Bangalore, organised by Mathai himself. The King clearly approved of his methods, since he then asked him to give a presentation on his work at the newly opened Soukya.

But it wasn’t until some years later, in 2010, that they reconnected via Queen Camilla, who made her first of many trips to Soukya (Mathai has suggested issues with security clearance delayed her visit). The King has since become a Soukya devotee as well. Mathai said in 2023 that he now does “medical consultations” with the couple a few times a year – he either comes to London, or they visit him in Bangalore. “We interact and do what is necessary to maintain their health and wellness,” the doctor explained.

His Soukya centre operates on holistic principles, meaning it views visitors, its website explains, as “multi-dimensional beings with a body, mind and spirit. These interconnected dimensions need to be in perfect harmony to ensure real well-being”. It’s the sanctuary of choice for a wide range of A-listers, from actress Emma Thompson to Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

But Mathai is particularly proud of his royal patronage. He noted that Queen Camilla “took the whole place over with friends in 2017”, and has praised her dedication to their programme, saying: “She does not miss even a session of morning yoga, and diligently attends all the treatments that we write down for her.” The King celebrated his 71st birthday at Soukya, with his wife, and delightedly planted an Indian tree called a champak during his stay. His Majesty, according to Mathai, was very impressed by their vechur cow, whose milk supposedly has special properties.

Mathai also divulged that the King did yoga and meditation, and enjoyed some of the centre’s Ayurvedic therapies, including “shirodhara”, which involves warm oil or milk being poured onto the “third eye” area on your forehead.

Their Majesties love the healthy sattvic food, made with homegrown fruit and vegetables: Mathai has said that they’ve expressed a wish to bring the royal chefs to India to train at the centre. He even recalled the Queen asking them to pack up the centre’s leek soup to take back on her private jet.

But despite the odd special request like that soup to-go, Mathai has called the King and Queen “our least demanding guests”; it seems protocol can be relaxed here. The King even asked Mathai to pose with him for a photograph beside some beautiful Indian lamps.

His Majesty doubtless approves of the centre’s sustainability efforts too. There are solar panels and wind turbines, and the staff harvest rainwater, tend to the resident bees, and use cow dung and food waste to generate their cooking gas.

Mathai has spoken enthusiastically about their simpatico relationship, noting that he and the King “have a common belief when it comes to combining different streams of treatment, especially alternate medicines.” That belief, he added, extends to thinking that such an approach could be taken to addressing common global health problems such as “hypertension, osteoporosis and diabetes.”

The King’s passion for holistic practice is well established. In 2021 he told the Wellness After Covid symposium that doctors should collaborate with complementary healthcare specialists to aid people who were recovering from the virus, and spoke particularly warmly about the benefits of yoga.

Is Mathai’s holistic healing now part of the King’s strategy as he battles cancer? His Majesty paused his ongoing weekly cancer treatment during the course of his tour, and his health has apparently improved so much that a palace aide said they were now looking at a “full overseas tour programme” for 2025. The aide also said that this recent trip had proved “the perfect tonic” for the King.

This stopover at Soukya seems to have played a part in that recovery process, offering a rest period and a chance for the King to undertake the treatments that he evidently values, in a tranquil setting. Mathai shared that palace officials told him the royal couple appreciate the privacy and space at Soukya “which they cannot get in the palace with a fleet of security and staff.”

It certainly sounds like a calming environment. The couple reportedly love taking strolls in the wild garden. “The King likes it as it reminds him of an English garden,” Mathai said.

Other members of the King’s medical team look to be on board too. Mathai has revealed that Dr Michael Dixon, head of the Royal Medical Household, has visited Soukya several times.

It sounds like Mathai is also, if informally, becoming a part of that household. He had the great privilege of being invited to attend the King’s coronation in 2023, and he and his family went to the garden party after the ceremony. Mathai revealed that Their Majesties “even arranged a private visit for my children”.

The doctor and his wife have also had a private tea with the King and Queen at Windsor Castle. “King Charles served us the tea himself, and this made us feel so welcome,” Mathai recalled. After Queen Elizabeth II passed away, Mathai visited the couple at St James’s Palace to personally convey his condolences.

The King has also offered his support in return, according to Mathai, inquiring whether the centre needed any assistance during lockdowns brought on by the pandemic. “He [King Charles] told me he was worried about how we were managing and was offering to help us,” Mathai said. “I told him I was happy that he had thought of me.”

Mathai even has plans to open a centre at Dumfries House, the Ayrshire estate which is part of the Prince’s Foundation, and which would make it extremely convenient for the King and Queen to enjoy his therapies on a more regular basis – and without travelling 5,000 miles to do so.

Mathai has said that he’s visited Dumfries House and the plan is “in discussions”, with the King approving of his suggestion that it would be free for the local community. The centre would offer a mixture of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy alongside western medicine.

Should he manage to establish a Scottish branch of his royally sanctioned resort, we could well see an increasingly significant role in the UK for the healer who appears to have the ear of the monarch. And if their shared history is anything to go by, for Charles, proximity to Mathai may well be just what the doctor ordered.