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Prince George 'accused of white privilege' by British Council boss

Three-year-old royal 'will never know any difficulties or hardships in life', says Angela Gibbins

Peter Yeung
Tuesday 26 July 2016 14:43 BST
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Prince George's parents: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Prince George's parents: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Getty Images)

A manager for the British Council has reportedly criticised three-year-old Prince George, the third in line to the throne, for living a life free of hardship and benefiting from “white privilege”.

Angela Gibbins, Head of Global Estates for the cultural relations organisation, which is partially funded by the taxpayer, made the comments in response to a photo on social media captioned: “I know he’s only two years old [sic], but Prince George already looks like a f****** d***head”, according to The Sun.

Posting a message beneath the picture of the young prince, she reportedly wrote: "White privilege. That cheeky grin is the innate knowledge he's royal, rich, advantages and will never know any difficulties or hardships in life".

“Let’s find photos of 3yo Syrian refugee children and see if they look alike, eh?”

In response to criticisms online, the 52-year-old Ms Gibbins is said to have responded: "I'm sound in my socialist, atheist and republican opinions.

“I don’t believe the royal family have any place in a modern democracy, least of all when they live on public money. That’s privilege and it needs to end.”

7 of Prince George's most astounding privileges and powers

A spokesperson for the British Council said in a statement: “This comment was made on a private social media account.

“It has absolutely no connection to the British Council and does not represent the views of the British Council.

“That said we expect the highest standards of our staff and we will be investigating the matter further.”

Ms Gibbins is reported to have a salary of around £80,000 a year for her role at the organisation.

The British Council works in more than 100 countries to provide educational opportunities and cultural relations and is sponsored by the Foreign Office. It has a Royal Charter and its patron is the Queen.

Earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George's parents, met schoolchildren in France who were taking part in a British Council programme.

The Independent could not reach Ms Gibbins for comment.

Prince George’s official photo for his third birthday last week prompted the RSPCA to issue a warning about the dangers of feeding dogs food such as ice cream.

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