A BBC journalist was today forced to apologise for making “rude” and “immature” comments about Prince Philip, Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Amol Rajan, who presented the controversial beeb documentary The Princes And The Press, wrote a number of remarks about the royals in The Independent back in 2012.
Mr Rajan, who used to edit the paper, called Prince Philip a “racist buffoon” in one column while describing Wills’ and Kate’s public role “a total fraud” in an open letter to the couple.
Apologising today, the 38-year-old journalist insisted the comments were “foolish” and “immature”.
And he said he “deeply regrets” his incendiary words.
“In reference to very reasonable questions about some foolish commentary from a former life, I want to say I deeply regret it,” Rajan wrote on Twitter.
“I wrote things that were rude and immature and I look back on them now with real embarrassment, and ask myself what I was thinking, frankly I would like to say sorry for any offence they caused then or now.”
He added: “I’m completely committed to impartiality and hope our recent programmes can be judged on their merits.”
In one open letter to William and Kate after they had announced their first pregnancy, Rajan congratulated the couple, but wrote: “Neither of you have a special claim on the glorious city of Cambridge so quit pretending you do.”
He also urged the couple to “renounce the luxuries of royal patronage and aristocracy” and said of other royals: “Aside from the Queen – whose public image is crafted by an ever-expanding team of propagandists – this clan is unusually full of fools”.
Mr Rajan’s apology comes after his BBC documentary the Prince and The Press reportedly sparked fury at the Palace, with the Queen said to have been “upset” by the show.
It was this week claimed members of the Royal family were mulling over their next steps following the documentary, with legal reps believed to have watched the second instalment when it aired on Tuesday.
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