Andy Taylor of Duran Duran - King Charles has given a voice to all people impacted by cancer

Andy Taylor, guitarist, producer, founding member of Duran Duran and our Ambassador is going through a well-publicised cancer journey, living with stage 4 prostate cancer and currently mid-way through a life-changing treatment called Lutetium-177.

Andy exclusively shared an update on his cancer journey with The Independent and his fans around the world, reflecting on the extraordinary impact of the announcement from Buckingham Palace about King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis and the connections with his own experience, following Andy’s announcement via a letter which was read out by Duran Duran at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction which he was unable to attend due then to the extent of his disease. 

We've shared below Andy's letter:

Dear All

After somewhat of a public reckoning with an advanced stage of prostate cancer, forcing me to miss Duran’s induction into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nov 2022, my dear friend Merck Mercuriadis said to me: “try not to worry, you’ll feel differently once it’s public, your world won’t seem such a lonely place, people really do care” & he was right.

I vividly remember the day 5 and a half years ago when the results of my biopsy were revealed - The news was not good, within a millisecond our world turned upside down, not unlike when my father first told me of his cancer diagnosis, I could barely speak...

Whatever kind of life you had prior to being diagnosed, the shuddering fear of the unknown, the magnitude of aftershocks, just from hearing those few words, “I’m so sorry, but you have an advanced form of cancer” is terrifying.

Whatever privilege or position you may hold, however powerful or infamous you are or may have become, it is the most humbling of challenges, an experience I would wish upon no one.

After baring all, I caught a huge break, as news spread of my terminal diagnosis, I was contacted by the Cancer Awareness Trust, led by the indefatigable Professor Sir Chris Evans after which my outcome changed dramatically, had I chosen to remain closeted “don’t complain, don’t explain” my outcome would have been very different. As it is today, I am very much alive and living, thank you Sir Chris.

As you can imagine - I was blown away when The King courageously went public with his prostate enlargement procedure, and then after what must have been devastating to the family, he publicly shared the sad news of his cancer diagnosis. From my own experiences, the impact of raising cancer awareness could not be more tangible.

Unequivocally his truth will save thousands of lives, countless headaches & heartaches, help avert the anxiety of financial ruin & give hope to so many. The most famous man in the world has made the most humbling of gestures in that - on the inside, we all bleed the same.

It’s impossible to understate the significance of what The King has done, in a world where power is seldom put to good use, the war on cancer is a battle nearer to the peace, however we must keep talking, caring, questioning & never taking no for an answer.

I’m now 2/3 through my treatment & learning to live again - I'm sure many of you know that treatment is no "cakewalk" however several years ago there was no means to win the battle, yet now I'm still in the fight, bruised but not battered, lightly fried without being burnt. One of the most powerful things that kept me going, was the harrowing thought of saying goodbye to my wife & children, no way in my mind was that going to happen, over my dead body, literally.

It's easy to forget King Charles is a husband, father, grandfather. As a family I'm sure they have felt those shuddering fears as they come to terms with what's to be or not to be. I also really feel for distant relatives. I’ve made that unexpected journey from California back to the U.K. when my father was sick, it's truly a long-haul, so give the lad a break, he’s only human too.

Understandably, The King will have access to the best medical attention available, the advancements in cancer treatments are at some pace now. Yet a few short years ago there was very limited access to treatment information, which often lead to the same dead end (no pun intended)

Which is why I've supported Sir Chris & his team on their journey to fix the unacceptable gap in common knowledge so information specific to the individual can be easily accessed whereby we can all be better informed, more confident in our judgements & armed with a cookbook of knowledge.

One in two of me & you... That's 50% of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point throughout our life. I cannot overstate the significance of awareness & preventative care. With the odds stacked this high, it's no longer a case of “if” but “when”. So, if you have the inclination that you may have a problem, talk to someone, it may be nothing, but when it becomes something, you really don't want to find yourself saying "if only I had spoken up sooner."

Be a King, if just for one day...

Andy Taylor

Thanks to The Independent for working with us on this exclusive.