Ben Elton apologises after GNW ‘rant’

Comedian Ben Elton has been forced to apologise to his homeland after comments made on Good News Week in which he described the Queen as a “sad little old lady.” He also referred to the Duke of York as “a bit of a yob” and suggested that the Earl of Wessex was homosexual, declaring that he “took it from behind”.

He also claimed that he had slept with Baroness Thatcher, the former Prime Minister and made lewd jokes about the fictional children’s character Harry Potter.

But his spokesman said the comments were taken out of context. Elton made his remarks about the Royal Family when asked to play a word association game.

He said: “She’s an ordinary lady. That woman represents Britain more than any head of state represents their country… she’s a sad little old lady, right.

“She lives in state-sponsored accommodation. Her husband is a mad old bigot that wishes it was still the war.”

Describing how “three out of her kids’ four marriages have failed”, he said “the oldest one is a disillusioned ex-hippy” and “the middle one is a bit of a yob”.

He added: “I’m just saying that’s a bog standard British family in all its rainbow glory. If she had a black one and a disabled one, she would have the full deck. That is a head of state.”

His spokesperson apologised for any offence caused and noted the comments that made the press in the UK were taken out of context.

“He was making a joke about Australian republicanism, pointing out on a comedy show that the Queen and her family were far more reflective of the modern rainbow population they represented than any other,” said the spokesperson.

On Tuesday Elton declared his “love and respect” for Britain and said his relocation to Australia was only “temporary”.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk