Richard Cruise

Sir Richard Robert Cruise, GCVO, FRCS (27 October 1876 – 24 December 1946) was an English ophthalmic surgeon. He was Surgeon-Oculist to George V and Queen Mary.

Early life Cruise was born in Purneah in the British Raj, to Francis Cruise (died 1879) and his wife Frideswide, daughter of Edward Kellet of Waterstown in county Meath. He was educated at Harrow School.

Career Cruise trained at St Mary's Hospital and qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians in 1900. He became an ophthalmologist and worked as a senior clinical assistant in that specialism at St Mary's. He was also the Chief Clinical Assistant at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. In 1903, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He worked as a surgeon at the Bristol Eye Hospital and the Royal Eye Hospital. In 1909, he was appointed to the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, where he became a consulting surgeon.

Cruise was ophthalmic surgeon to George V (reigned 1910–36); and in 1918 he was appointed Surgeon-Oculist Extraordinary to the King. In 1922, he was promoted to Knight Commander.

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