Kim Kardashian under pressure to delete Princess Kate joke from Instagram

Kim Kardashian is under intense pressure to remove an Instagram post that poked fun at Kate Middleton's whereabouts during the peak of speculation. Photo / Getty Images

Kim Kardashian is under intense pressure to delete a joke she made about Catherine, Princess of Wales being missing ahead of the royal’s shock cancer treatment announcement.

The reality TV veteran, 43, shared a picture on social media referring to the 42-year-old royal six days ago, which showed her getting into a car with the caption: “On my way to go find Kate.”

Her post came as conspiracy theories mounted about mum-of-three Catherine’s whereabouts and health after she stepped out of the public eye following abdominal surgery in January that left her hospitalised for two weeks.

Social media critics are now pressuring Kardashian online to remove the post after a string of celebrities and news and royal commentators came out of the woodwork to apologise for posts speculating about Catherine before she used a video message on Friday, March 22, to announce she had been undergoing treatment for cancer.

Kate, the Princess of Wales, is undergoing chemotherapy. The video announcement came after weeks of speculation spread on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was hospitalised in January for unspecified abdominal surgery. Photo / Kensington Palace

Many fans have told Kardashian to immediately issue and apologise, with one telling her about her Catherine post: “You should probably take this down.”

Others who have issued apologies in the wake of Catherine’s video announcement included left-wing newspaper columnist Owen Jones, 39, who speculated about Catherine’s whereabouts after it emerged a photo the royal put out on Mother’s Day showing her with her three children had been doctored.

He said on X in a reaction to a post that revealed photography agencies had issued “kill notices” withdrawing the image after they spotted Photoshop errors in the image: “Oh wow. Ok I am now fully on board the Kate Middleton truther train.”

He added he was “so obsessed” with the story about the edited image.

And Jones aired his doubts about a photograph of Catherine and her husband Prince William, 41, in a car together that was shared the day after the Mother’s Day image row, saying online: “You have to be kidding me. That is not a public appearance. Choo choo! All aboard the Kate Middleton truther express!”

He messaged on X on Friday night: “As someone who speculated on this without considering it could be a serious health condition, I’m very ashamed to be honest, and all the very best to her.”

Actress Blake Lively, 36, is among the celebrities who have shared regrets for gags about Catherine’s whereabouts.

She said on Friday night: “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.”

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