Like father, like son: Prince Charles accused of racism

Britain's royal family has become embroiled in another race row after reports the Prince of Wales calls a friend "Sooty".

Prince Charles used the "affectionate nickname" to address Kolin Dhillon, whose family come from the Indian subcontinent, at Cirencester Polo Club, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported.

"Charles, along with both of his boys, have called this chap Sooty because it is his nickname and he is perfectly comfortable with it," an unnamed member of the club told the newspaper.

The report comes just days after Prince Charles' younger son, Prince Harry, apologised for using the word "Paki" to describe a member of his army platoon in a video filmed in 2006.

St James's Palace said Prince Harry had used the term about a friend and without malice.

In the video, published on Sunday by News of the World, Prince Harry also referred to another soldier wearing a camouflage scarf on his head as a "raghead".

While "raghead" is regarded an offensive term for Arabs, St James's Palace has insisted Harry's remark was in reference to the common nickname attributed by British troops to the Taliban.

A Clarence House spokesman refused to comment on the latest reports, but branded any suggestion Prince Charles was racist as "ridiculous".

"To suggest in any way the Prince of Wales is racist is completely ridiculous," the spokesman told the BBC website.

"Look at the work he's done here and abroad. Consistently over 30 years he's called for greater tolerance and understanding."

The Daily Telegraph's source said the nickname was a "sort of running joke about political correctness".

"To me, this shows what a nonsense this brouhaha over what Harry said really is," the source told the paper.

"They are no more racists than I am and I use the word to address this chap whenever I see him, too."

- AAP