Princess Diana's guard cured of cancer in Southampton

Allan Peters is now cancer free after undergoing CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cell therapy, at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).

Allan, who worked to protect both King Charles and Princess Diana, described it as a “medical cure”.

He was diagnosed with stage 4b diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands, in 2022.

Following diagnosis, the now 76-year-old was told it had spread to form lesions on his bones, and there was no cure.

Allan having his modified T cells reinfused (Image: Allan Peters)

Allan’s initial symptoms were nausea, weight loss, tiredness, and an abdominal mass. A scan showed this to be widespread lymphoma in his abdomen.

He immediately began chemotherapy, with partial success.

In 2023 he was accepted as the fifth patient to undergo CAR T cell therapy – and has not looked back since.

He has even corresponded with his former employer King Charles about his diagnosis after the monarch sent him a letter.

“It shows you the kind of thoughtful and caring man our King is, to have taken the time to write to me,” said Allan, from Dorset.

Following the news that King Charles also has cancer, Allan wrote to him and received acknowledgement from Buckingham Palace that the King received his letter.

“The King was really kind and sent me such a lovely letter when he heard I was ill, so it was really good to be able to send him the before and after scan images of my condition,” said Allan.

“It looked like the end of the story for me, but now I am in complete remission.”

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After Allan received his modified T cells, he stayed in hospital for five weeks.

Sean Lim, Professor of Haematology at the University of Southampton, works on developing new immunotherapies such as this.

She said: “CAR T cell therapy enables T cells, a type of white blood cell, to recognise cancer cells and attack them.

“This involves collecting a patient’s T cells and modifying them so that they can recognise the cancer cells.

“The modified T cells are then reinfused into the patient so that they can kill the cancer cells.”

Allan Peters with Princess Diana (Image: Allan Peters)

At the end of the five weeks, a PET scan showed Allan was completely cancer free.

Follow-up scans at three- and six-months post-treatment showed Allan remains free of cancer and in long-term remission.

Allan said: “I was under no illusions at any stage what the treatment would be like. I was exceptionally tired and felt very ill, but only for a matter of weeks.

“I am so grateful to the medical teams that made this happen – it really is like a miracle cure.”