BBC journalist apologises for 'rude and immature' comments on British royals

Amol Rajan has apologised for previous critical comments he made about Prince Charles and the late Prince Philip amid criticism of his recent BBC documentary "The Princes and the Press."

The host of the two-part special once called the Duke of Edinburgh a "racist buffoon" and the Prince of Wales "scientifically illiterate" in a 2012 article for The Independent newspaper. According to the Daily Mail, his piece was about the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, in which he described the event as "little more than the industrialisation of mediocrity."

Likewise, Rajan called Prince William and Kate Middleton's public role a "total fraud" and wrote, "Neither of you have a special claim on the glorious city of Cambridge so quit pretending you do." He even suggested that they raise their children not in a "vast palace" but in a "decent suburban townhouse."

In the scathing article, he also wrote, "Aside from the Queen – whose public image is crafted by an ever-expanding team of propagandists – this clan is unusually full of fools."

In response to his past comments, Rajan issued an apology on Twitter in which he called his previous commentary "foolish." He also shared his deep regret at the "rude and immature" things he wrote. Looking back at them now, he said he feels "real embarrassment."

Netizens dug up Rajan's past works because he fronts the controversial BBC Two documentary "The Princes and the Press." Some viewers thought the show is biased and favours Prince Harry and Meghan Markle because it failed to challenge allegations made by supporters of the Sussexes. These include the duchess' lawyer Jenny Afia who denied claims that the royal bullied palace aides and Omid Scobie, who co-wrote the book about the couple called "Finding Freedom."

The royals, in a joint statement, have since urged viewers not to believe everything in the documentary. They alleged that it presented facts based on unfounded claims made by unnamed sources. As for Rajan, BBC defended him and said he "reports on all topics he covers in an impartial way and in line with the BBC's editorial guidelines."