Kim Kardashian stands firm in her decision not to apologise for a joke she made about Kate Middleton, despite facing backlash from critics.

The 43-year-old reality TV star sparked controversy when she shared a sultry photo of herself next to a sports car on Instagram, captioned “On my way to go find Kate.” The post, shared with her 364 million followers, came just a week before Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis and commencement of chemotherapy treatment.

When questioned by photographers about Kate while attending her eldest son Saint’s football game in Los Angeles, Kim maintained a solemn silence. However, she has yet to remove the post referencing Kate from her Instagram, unlike other celebrities who have apologised for similar remarks.

Criticism flooded Kim’s post, with fans urging her to delete it. “You should take this down!” exclaimed one follower, while another remarked, “She’s having cancer treatment… this has not aged well.” Despite the backlash, Kim has refrained from addressing the situation publicly.

In her statement, Kate described her cancer diagnosis as a “huge shock” and expressed gratitude for the support of her husband William and the kindness shown by others. Royal commentator Jennie Bond commended Kate’s bravery for sharing her diagnosis publicly, attributing it in part to the harmful rumours circulating online.

Bond remarked on Sky News, “What a courageous young woman she is. How very brave to make a video message like that. She didn’t have to, but she did that partly I think because of all the ridiculous, absurd theories that have been going round on the internet.”

She continued, “And that really is my second thought, it is that I hope that those social media trolls who have peddled such ghastly, hurtful theories will now realise what they’ve done and be absolutely ashamed of themselves. And I hope we’ll all take pause for thought and not be led by the nose by what goes on social media.”

Bond concluded by expressing sympathy for Kate and acknowledging the challenges she faces ahead, stating, “She’s just been trying to keep her family together, keep her thoughts together, look after those precious children and my heart absolutely goes out to her. I think that everyone’s estimation of her will go sky-high now.”