PRINCE Andrew made ‘unbelievable’ racist jokes about Arabs during a state banquet for the Saudi Royal family, a former Home Secretary has claimed.
Jacqui Smith, an ex-cabinet member, said the Duke of York made jokes about camels ‘as worse as you can imagine’ while mingling with British politicians at Buckingham Palace.
She told presenter Iain Dale on the LBC Election podcast left the MPs with ‘slack-jawed’ expressions.
Mrs Smith refused to repeat the words but said one joke included ‘a comment about camels’.
It is believed the dinner refers to a state visit by the Saudi royal family in 2007 when Mrs Smith was a member of Gordon Brown’s cabinet.
She said: “I met him several times, including once at a state banquet, where after dinner my husband and I and another Labour cabinet minister had a drink with him.
“I have to say the conversation left us slack-jawed with the things he felt it appropriate to say.
“I almost feel I can’t say it; it was the state banquet for the Saudi royal family and he made racist comments about Arabs that were unbelievable.
“That he thought we might find these amusing was a terrible situation to be in.”
Mrs Smith said she is now ashamed she did not challenge the comments, adding: “It was a state banquet, we were in Buckingham Palace, we were cabinet ministers, I feel ashamed that we didn’t but we didn’t.
She added she believed the Prince was “not very bright”, having met him several times in her role as a Labour minister.
She added: “I don’t think he really understands the way in which you behave and in some ways that’s not surprising, because you’re pretty insulated in the royal family.
“But he’s at the worst end of the royal family, I think.”
In a statement, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the Duke of York does not tolerate racism in any form.
The statement said: “HRH has undertaken a considerable amount of work in the Middle East over a period of years and has many friends from the region.
“He does not tolerate racism in any form.”
The allegation comes just 24 hours after the prince was accused of using the N-word at a Buckingham Palace meeting with a Downing Street adviser of Sri Lankan descent.
Rohan Silva, 38, a former adviser to David Cameron on the tech economy, claims the “offensive” incident took place in 2012 during a conversation about trade policy.
Mr Silva said he asked Prince Andrew whether the government department responsible for trade “could be doing a better job”.
He said the Duke of York responded: “Well, If youll pardon the expression, that really is the n***** in the woodpile.”
A Palace spokesperson told the Sun Online: “We strenuously deny that these words were ever used.”
Prince Andrew is facing a growing crisis following a car-crash interview on BBC Newsnight about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In the Newsnight interview, Andrew denied having sex with a 17-year-old girl trafficked by Epstein.
He claimed he had no recollection of meeting Virginia Roberts and said he had been at a party at Pizza Express in Woking on the night they are alleged to have had sex after attending Tramp nightclub in London.
The royal added Ms Roberts’ account about him sweating as they danced in the club could not be true as he wasn’t able to sweat after being shot at during the Falklands War.
