The BBC has defended a controversial joke about Prince Harry which suggested the young royal had snorted cocaine.

Comedian Jo Brand made the quip on BBC1 quiz show Have I Got News for You on Friday night as panellists discussed the christening of Prince George.

The 56-year-old stand up star said: ‘George’s godparents include Hugh van Cutsem – I presume that’s a nickname as in Hugh van cuts ’em and Harry then snorts ’em.’

Comedian Paul Merton was seen gaping at the guest presenter, while a stunned Ian Hislop balked and asked: ‘Have we lost the lawyers?’

The corporation is now under fire for allowing the joke to be left in after the pre-recorded show was edited. Last night it insisted the remark was ‘tongue in cheek’.

Critics have also attacked the programme for mistakenly naming Hugh van Cutsem, rather than William van Cutsem, as Prince George’s godfather. Hugh, a longtime friend of Prince Charles from Cambridge University, died last month.

Although Miss Brand did not write the joke, she has announced she will not apologise for the comment, which she read from an autocue.

The presenter, a member of anti-monarchist group Republic, said: ‘I didn’t write it. I read it out from the autocue. I thought it was funny. I don’t really understand what the fuss is about.

‘I am not going to apologise. I didn’t write it but I did say it so I am culpable in some way.’

Prince Harry, 29, a captain with the Army Air Corps who has served on two tours to Afghanistan, has previously confessed to smoking cannabis when he was a teenager. However, he has never been accused of taking cocaine or any other class A drugs.

Former head of the Army Lord Dannatt told a Sunday newspaper: ‘It might have been said as a joke but the suggestion is outrageous. It is a very unfortunate joke to make and most inappropriate.’

Tory defence minister Anna Soubry added: ‘That is disgraceful, shoddy, appalling and out of order. Prince Harry does an outstanding job in the Army and always goes the extra mile to help wounded service personnel and veterans.

‘Jo Brand should not have stooped to that level and both she and the BBC should apologise. It is a really cheap shot at somebody who has no right of reply and they know will not sue for libel.’

A Clarence House spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We wouldn’t comment on something like that.’

However, the BBC said in a statement: ‘Have I Got News For You is a satirical news quiz and the audience is used to the often irreverent humour. This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment.’

It is the latest in a series of blunders by the BBC over their coverage of Prince George’s christening.

Jeremy Paxman forgot Kate Middleton’s title as he announced her return to public life on Newsnight last week, while BBC News was also criticised for treating the occasion as a ‘tail-end afterthought’ on its six o’clock and ten o’clock bulletins.

BBC2’s current affairs show Newsnight failed to mention it at all.

據英國《每日郵報》10月27日報道，英國廣播公司的嘉賓主持人25日開玩笑說哈里王子吸食可卡因，此舉遭到了譴責。

喜劇演員喬•布蘭德在《我有消息告訴你嗎》（Have I Got News for You）欄目里說：“喬治王子的教父包括休•范卡特森（Hugh van Cutsem）——我猜這是一個綽號，休•范卡森特把姓氏里的‘em’名字里去掉（cuts ’em），而哈里王子呼出‘em’”。

批評人士指出，該欄目組張冠李戴，喬治王子的教父是威廉•范卡森特而非休•范卡森特，后者是查爾斯王儲的老友，已于上個月過世。

布蘭德是反對君主制團體“共和國”（Republic）的一員，她告訴《星期日電訊報》：“我沒有編寫這則笑話，我支持根據字幕機把它讀出來。我認為這很有趣，我不明白這有什么好大驚小怪的。我不會道歉�！�

英國廣播公司在聲明里說：“《我有消息 告訴你嗎》是一種惡作劇，觀眾習慣了那種無禮的幽默。這顯然是一種半開玩笑式的言論�！�

現年29歲的哈里王子是陸軍航空隊的上尉。陸軍航空隊前負責人達納特告訴《星期日電訊報》：“這或許只是一個玩笑，但它背后的用意卻是令人無法容忍的，這是一個非常不恰當的笑話�！�

保守派的國防部長安娜•蘇布賴補充說：“這是非�？蓯u、卑劣、駭人聽聞的。哈里王子在軍隊里的工作非常杰出，他經常加班飛行來幫助傷員。喬•布蘭德不應該自貶身份開那樣的玩笑，她和英國廣播公司都應該道歉�！�

英國王室發(fā)言人告訴《每日郵報》：“我們不會對此做出評論�！�

哈里此前曾坦言少年時期曾吸食過大麻，但是他從未被指控過吸食可卡因或任何A級毒品。