Late-night host Stephen Colbert could be in legal trouble after he joked about Kate Middleton’s disappearance, saying it was related to the potential affair between her husband, Prince William, and another royal woman.
Lawyers for the woman, Marchioness of Cholmondeley Rose Hanbury, issued a cease-and-desist letter to Colbert, ordering him to refrain from publicly connecting their client to William.
Hanbury’s attorney, in a statement:
“The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“We have written on our client’s behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false.”
The letter comes following Colbert’s commentary on Middleton’s controversial public appearances, where he joked were meant to dispel her unhappiness with an unfaithful husband.
“The kingdom has been all a flutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton,” he said during the March 12 episode of his show.
“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.”
“So, I think we all know who the alleged other woman is. Say it with me –– the Marchioness of Cholmondeley –– what a beautiful name!”
“Now, there have been rumors [of] an affair between William and the Marching Band of Chicanery since 2019,” he continued.
“According to tabloids back then, 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,” the ‘comedian’ joked.
“Ha ha, imagine me having an affair! It is to laugh,” he said in a mocking British accent.
Hanbury recently told the Business Insider that the rumors connecting her to Prince William are “baseless.”
Newspaper editor Piers Morgan described Colbert’s joking at Kate’s expense in recent weeks as “distasteful.”
“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 to X (formerly Twitter).
The way certain American talk show hosts like @StephenAtHome mocked the Princess of Wales over her marriage in recent weeks now looks especially distasteful.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 22, 2024
Fox News contributor and political commentator Joe Concha also slammed Colbert on X:
“Let’s be clear on this for all the media reporters out there: Your hero Stephen Colbert went on national television and claimed Kate Middleton was the victim of an affair by her husband. No evidence. Nothing. She has cancer. Will you call this out? Of course not,” he said.
Middleton announced last week she will be undergoing preventative chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis.
However, her video message only raised more concerns about her well-being, as she was seen strolling with William through a farm.
She was also the subject of speculation after a family photo was discovered to have been digitally altered.
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