“She's the future Queen of England”: Stephen Colbert wishes Kate Middleton “swift and thorough recovery” after the backlash

Stephen Colbert, the American television host and comedian, recently addressed Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis and appeared remorseful about his earlier comments mocking the Princess of Wales.

The 59-year-old opened up about the backlash he received for joking about Kate's disappearance and linking it to her husband Prince William's alleged infidelity.

He spoke about the Princess's health announcement on March 25 episode of The Late Show saying,

"I don't know if 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."

Middleton is currently undergoing "preventive chemotherapy" as her medical team had advised. She is striving for a full recovery according to a video posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram account.

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Stephen Colbert expresses remorse for jokes about Kate Middleton and Prince William following the Princess' cancer announcement

Stephen Colbert mentioned Kate Middleton on Monday's episode of The Late Show and talked about her cancer diagnosis. The comedian also seemed remorseful about his recent comments about Prince William allegedly cheating on the Princess.

However, Stephen Colbert did not directly apologize for the jokes he made about the royal family in an earlier episode. On March 13, 2024, the 59-year-old took to the stage of his late-night show to say,

"The Kingdom has been all a flutter about the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair… According to a tabloid, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it. Always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.”

Kate Middleton announced to the world that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was now in recovery on March 22, 2024.

Several celebrities and netizens who mocked the Princess' disappearance received a lot of backlash online, including Stephen Colbert. He spoke about the issue on Monday, March 25,

"Two weeks ago, we did some jokes about that mystery. When I made those jokes, that upset some people…even before her diagnosis was revealed.

He further said,

"I can understand that a lot of my jokes have upset people in the past and 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."

Kate Middleton took to Instagram to post a video about her current health and said that her family was supporting her. She also mentioned that having Prince William by her side "was a great source of comfort and reassurance".

Stephen Colbert wished well for her health saying,

“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.”

The Princess of Wales went through abdominal surgery on January 17, 2024, in The London Clinic, and that was when her medical team found evidence of cancer. However, the Kensington Palace has not yet revealed what type of cancer Kate Middleton had.

Stephen Colbert's next episode of The Late Show will air on March 27, 2024, at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.