A few weeks ago, the speculation, rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding Kate Middleton’s “disappearance” came to a head when host Stephen Colbert brought up the subject on his show. “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
On television, Colbert joined the conspiracy theory linking the Princess of Wales’ absence to an alleged crisis in her marriage.
The host did not stop there, he also talked about the alleged infidelity of Prince William and even made some jokes about Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, who has been related to the heir to the crown since 2019.
In the program of March 13, he made some jokes and jokes about the alleged absence of Kate.
But days later. Specifically, on Friday, March 22, Kate herself brought the world to a standstill by confessing that she was diagnosed with cancer.
THE PRINCE WILLIAM AFFAIR RUMOURS!!!!
The TEA is being spilt in the continent of America that Prince William and Kate Middleton have in the last four years had a huge interest in impressing and becoming popular in (because Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan live there and W&K have… pic.twitter.com/CePz5a2cU5
— Glow Lee (@GlowanneLee) March 13, 2024
Soon after the episode aired, Colbert faced backlash from royal fans and commentators who criticized him for magnifying and platforming speculation about the princess while she was recovering from surgery.
Following the announcement, broadcaster Piers Morgan was among the voices on social media to criticize Colbert and the impact of his on-air jokes at the royal’s expense.
“The way certain American talk show hosts like @StephenAtHome mocked the Princess of Wales over her marriage in recent weeks now looks especially distasteful,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Stephen Colbert and Princess Kate Middleton
Now, host Stephen Colbert had no choice but to issue a few words of apology after Kate’s announcement of her cancer diagnosis.
Colbert has expressed his “sincere hope” that the Princess of Wales will make a “speedy and full” recovery following her cancer diagnosis, after the TV host received backlash for joking about her marriage earlier this month.
Stephen Colbert’s apologies: “I don’t know if you have noticed, but we do a lot of shows, and I tell a lot of jokes and I tell jokes about a lot of different things, mostly what everybody’s talking about,” he told his audience.
“And for the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton’s disappearance from public life, and two weeks ago we did some jokes about that mystery and all the attendant froo-frah [sic] in the reporting about that.
“When I made those jokes that upset some people and, even before her diagnosis was revealed, and I can understand that,” he continued. “I mean, a lot of my jokes have upset people in the past, and I’m sure some of my jokes will upset people in the future. But, there’s a standard that I try to hold myself to, and that is I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy.”
“Now, I don’t know whether her prognosis is a tragic one,” he said of Kate.
“She’s the future of Queen of England and I assume she’s going to get the best possible medical care. But regardless of what it is, I know, and I’m sure many of you, far too many of us, know that any cancer diagnosis of any kind is harrowing for the patient and for their family. And, though I’m sure they don’t need it from me, I and everyone here at the Late Show would like to extend our well wishes and heartfelt hope that her recovery is swift and thorough.”
More apologies for Kate Middleton
Colbert is not the only star to have addressed comments made about Kate during her surgery recovery with a different viewpoint after her cancer announcement.
Actress Blake Lively took to Instagram to say she was “mortified” at posting an image to her social media accounts, jokingly referencing the backlash Kate faced after it was revealed she had edited a portrait released of herself with her children celebrating Mother’s Day in Britain on March 10.
Panelists of The View, who had lengthy discussions about conspiracy theories regarding Kate prior to her announcement, also addressed their feelings now the princess’ medical condition was known.
“I’m guilty of having gotten into the fun of ‘Where’s Kate?’ and thinking it’s funny, sharing the memes, and playing into that,” former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin told her co-hosts on Monday.
“And I forgot something fundamental that we all know, which is: Every person, whether they’re a princess, somebody in a high-privileged position, or just the person next to you, is dealing with personal struggles that we don’t know about. I send my love to her and strength to her.”