Stephen Colbert expresses regret for joining in on Kate Middleton conspiracy theory jokes

Stephen Colbert has expressed regret for making jokes about Kate Middleton’s absence in the latest episode of his US talk show on Tuesday (26 March).

The presenter previously mocked the Princess of Wales’ disappearance and joined in with conspiracy theories surrounding her absence from public life before it was announced that the 42-year-old had been diagnosed with cancer.

Since the revelation, a number of famous faces have shown remorse for joking about her circumstances, including actor Blake Lively and journalist Owen Jones, with Kim Kardashian also being pressured to issue an apology.

Colbert, 59, said that he was aware he had “upset people” even before the diagnosis was announced.

“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,” he said.

“But there is a standard that I try to hold myself to, and that is, I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy.”

He went on to wish the Princess a swift recovery.

“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,” he said.

In a previous episode of his talk show, Colbert had alluded to conspiracy theories surrounding Kate’s absence from the public and the photoshopping gaffe that escalated them.

Joking about the situation, he said: “To put this scandal to rest, the palace has released the original image of Princess Kate, skateboarding over a tiger.”

He had also featured a detailed segment on infidelity rumours surrounding Prince William.

In his apology, the presenter appeared to defend himself for covering an issue that “everybody’s talking about”.

He said: “I tell jokes about a lot of different things, mostly what everybody’s talking about, and for the last six weeks to two months everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton’s disappearance from public life.”

Colbert is one of a several celebrities who shared rumours and conspiracy theories concerning Kate’s absence, with many issuing apologies following her cancer announcement.

Gossip Girl star Blake Lively was one of the first to say sorry, referring to a since-deleted post that seemingly poked fun at the edited picture Kate had posted for Mother’s Day.