‘Sooty’ leaps to defence of Prince Charles

When it was revealed at the weekend that Prince Harry had called one of his fellow officer cadets at Sandhurst "our little Paki friend" and referred to Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters as "ragheads", it caused a mini furore. And it looked like his father, the Prince of Wales, would get an equally negative reaction when it came out that he had nicknamed Kuldip Dhillon, an Asian businessman and fellow member of the exclusive Cirencester Park Polo Club, "Sooty". Not so, it seems. Dhillon, a wealthy property developer, has leapt to the Prince's defence.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dhillon said: "I have to say, you know when you have arrived when you acquire a nickname. I enjoy being called Sooty. I enjoy being called Sooty by my friends, who I am sure universally use the name as a term of affection with no offence meant or felt.” He added. "The Prince of Wales is a man of zero prejudice and both his sons have always been most respectful."

Dhillon, 58, who came to Britain from the Punjab with his parents in 1955 and has lived in Gloucestershire for more than 30 years, has close ties with Prince Charles. His son Satnam, 31, is a professional polo player who has represented England and also played alongside William and Harry.

One member of the Cirencester Polo club, who asked not to be named, told the Times that that he felt the sobriquet was a way of "putting two fingers up to political correctness". He added: "Charles, along with both of his boys, have called this chap Sooty because it is his nickname and he is perfectly comfortable with it. I suppose that we all see this as a sort of running joke about political correctness." He added: "They [the princes] are no more racists than I am, and I use the word to address this chap whenever I see him, too."

However, Give Racism the Red Card, the charity dedicated to eradicating racism in sport, doesn't quite see it that way. "In our view, there's no friendly banter where racism is concerned," said a spokesman. "The members of the Royal Family, with all the money that's been spent on their education, should be aware that calling people 'Sooty' is unacceptable." ·