Andy Cohen has addressed the backlash he received after speculating about the Princess of Wales’ health and whereabouts prior to the announcement that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
The Real Housewives franchise producer and radio host said he was “heartbroken” over the news and agreed with criticism made about his speculative social media posts about Kate.
Cohen was among the most prominent public figures to contribute to the “where’s Kate?” discourse which spiked after the princess apologized for digitally altering a family photograph released to mark U.K. Mother’s Day back in March.
At the time, Kate had been out of the public eye since January after undergoing abdominal surgery. In the days after the Mother’s Day photo scandal that erupted after social media users detected traces of editing in the portrait released by Kensington Palace, Kate and Prince William were caught on camera shopping together at a farm shop in Windsor.
A number of social media users claimed that the woman in the footage was not Kate, spreading conspiracy theories that the clip had been altered using artificial intelligence and claims that a body double had been employed.
On March 19, three days after the footage was taken by a member of the public, Cohen joined the discussion, expressing doubt over its authenticity. “That ain’t Kate,” he told his 2.4 million X (formerly Twitter) followers.
In a separate post, he uploaded a screenshot from the video to his Instagram story, asking his 5.5 million followers on the platform: “Is this Princess Kate?”
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM/Samir Hussein/WireImage
This speculation was reported on by the British media, with Sky News’ Kay Burley describing Cohen as a “numpty” for participating in the pile on of the royal.
On March 22, Kate made the shock announcement that she has cancer and that her continued absence from public life has been contributed to by both her recovery from surgery and this new diagnosis.
Several celebrities who speculated about the princess came out afterwards to either apologize or send the royal their best wishes, the latest among them being Cohen.
In an appearance on his Radio Andy show on SiriusXM 102 on Monday (his first show since Kate’s announcement), the presenter addressed Kate as one of his first talking points.
“I just want to say I am heartbroken by the news about Princess Kate,” he said.
“I think someone on Sky News called me a ‘numpty’ during that whole conversation and they were right and of course I wish I had kept my mouth shut.”
“We are all praying for Princess Kate and King Charles,” he concluded, in a reference to the king who is also receiving treatment following a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
When contacted by Newsweek, Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Following her announcement, Kate received a wave of supportive messages from fans, members of the royal family and world heads of state.
President Joe Biden posted to X: “Jill and I join millions around the world in praying for your full recovery, Princess Kate.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also sent a message of support. “Your Highness, In this difficult period you are going through, Brigitte and I wish you a full recovery,” he wrote. “Your strength and resilience inspire us all.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.