Stephen Colbert addresses backlash to Kate joke, wishes royal a 'swift recovery'

US TV host Stephen Colbert has issued an apology of sorts over jokes he made about the Princess of Wales.

Colbert, who hosts the Late Show on CBS, ?took aim at Kate Middleton, 42, during her absence from the public spotlight following planned abdominal surgery on January 16.

Speculation about the royal's whereabouts reached a fever pitch when an edited photo of Kate and her children was released for Mother's Day in the US, prompting outlandish conspiracy theories.

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?Colbert, 59, weighed in on the speculation with a series of jokes at the expense of Kate and her marriage to Prince William.

The princess has since released a video explaining cancer was found following her surgery and she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy.?

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During the latest episode of the Late Show, Colbert addressed his previous comments about the royal.

?"We do a lot of shows, and I tell a lot of jokes, and I tell jokes about a lot of different things ¨C mostly what everybody's talking about," he said.

"And for the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton's disappearance from public life.

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"And two weeks ago, we did some jokes about that mystery and all the attendant fru-fra 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.

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"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."

Colbert added, "Now, 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.

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"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."

Colbert is the latest celebrity to apologise in the wake of Kate's cancer revelation. On Saturday, Blake Lively admitted she was "mortified" for making fun of the royals' photoshopped Mother's Day photo.

"I'm sure no one cares today but I feel like I have to acknowledge this," she wrote on Instagram following Kate's cancer announcement.

"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."

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