Stephen Fry ‘anxious’ for King following cancer diagnosis

The 66-year-old, who was treated for prostate cancer, hails His Majesty’s ‘openness’ but says he is worried about his wellbeing

Stephen Fry has praised the King for revealing his cancer diagnosis to the public but said he was also “anxious” for him.
The 66-year-old actor and comedian, who has had prostate cancer, said the King’s “very swift modernising” of the monarchy now includes “an openness about something as personal and indelicate as a cancer”.
His Majesty has postponed all public-facing duties but is continuing with behind-the-scenes work on his red boxes of state papers.
Announcing on Monday that the King had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace said he had chosen to share the news to “assist public understanding” for those around the world affected by the disease.
Speaking on the BBC’s Today Podcast, Fry said: “I am anxious, of course – anxious for his wellbeing, and anxious that, having sort of been in the wings all this time and to have such a short time on centre stage, if he were to be seriously ill, would be really, really sad, because he has a lot to do and a lot he wants to do.
“I think what he wants to do is good, is beneficial for the country and for the people he’s there to help.”
The former QI host stressed the importance of people talking about the disease.
“Cancer is sort of mushroom-like – in the dark it grows. It’s more dangerous when not exposed to the light.
“It’s a bit like the Voldemort principle in the Harry Potter books – if you’re afraid to say the name then the name has more power over you.”
Fry was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and has since then campaigned for greater awareness about detecting the illness early. He said following surgery that it was “thankfully caught in the nick of time”.
In 2021, he backed an NHS England campaign to encourage people with potential cancer symptoms to get themselves checked.
He said he had been “stunned” at his diagnosis, but added that he knew “from personal experience how important catching cancer sooner is to survival”.
The actor and comedian – who is a royalist and attended the King’s coronation last year – considers the monarch a friend and once hosted him and the late Princess of Wales for a tea party in Norfolk.