Watch: Stephen Colbert expresses regret for Princess of Wales jokes
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The American talk show host Stephen Colbert has expressed regret after joking about the whereabouts of the Princess of Wales, insisting: “I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy.”
The 59-year-old, one of America’s most prominent comedians, stopped short of a full apology after propagating scurrilous rumours about the Princess a few weeks before she announced that she was being treated for cancer.
He told viewers on Monday night: “I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy. I don’t know whether her prognosis is a tragic one – she’s the future 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 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.”
Last week, the Princess, 42, released a personal video message revealing that, following her abdominal surgery in January, post-operative tests had found that “cancer had been present”. She said she was now in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy treatment.
It followed months of increasing scrutiny of the Princess as internet trolls propagated conspiracy theories online during her absence from public life.
The social media storm around her whereabouts, condition and domestic life had reached a fever pitch following her release of a Mother’s Day picture of herself and her three young children, and her subsequent apology for editing it.
Colbert had weighed in on the issue during this time, saying on March 13 that “the kingdom has been all a flutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton” and sharing one of the social media theories.
A few US celebrities made jokes amid the surge in online speculation, including Kim Kardashian, who published a series of photos to her 364 million followers on Instagram with the caption: “On my way to find Kate.”
The actress Blake Lively made a photoshop “jibe” at the Princess following the picture controversy, but has since deleted the post and apologised, saying: “I’m sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this.
“I made a silly post around the ‘Photoshop fails’ frenzy, and oh man, that post has me mortified today. I’m sorry. Sending love and well wishes to all, always.”
On Saturday, the Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis called for people to stop peddling conspiracy theories about the Princess, saying: “Can we please just STOP with this bull---t conspiracy theory? This is a human being with young children, and clearly some sort of health issue.
“That is a private matter. Do we not have better things to do and more important things to think about and be concerned about than this? It’s a really low point in our society when there are SO MANY crucial issues that need our attention.”
