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  Intl. & NRI News |
| Prince Philip apologises for remark against Indians |
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Intl. & NRI News |
| Prince Philip apologises for remark against Indians |
London, August 11, 1999
Prince Philip, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, has made a public apology over a remark that a badly designed fuse box in a factory looked "as though it was put in by an Indian."
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, made that remark over a fuse box desig-ned to improve railway safety. The rema-rk came days after the Gaisal train disaster in India that claimed about 300 lives.
Prince Philip made the remark on a tour to a factory near Edinburgh before unveiling an award for new technology for railway safety. He stopped at a fuse box that looked less sophisticated than other equipment because electric cables from the box were connected to the ceiling. Terry Nisbet, managing director of the company, joked: "That's the national grid." To which the Duke replied: "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian."
This was at least the second time that Prince Philip made a remark critical of Indians. He did so during the Queen's visit to Jallianwalah Bagh, Amritsar, in 1997 when he said information about the killing by the British on the site was all wrong. After he made the latest remark, a spokesman from Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying: "The Duke of Edinburgh regrets any offence which may have been caused by remarks. The spokesman said: "With hindsight he accepts that what were intended as light-hearted comments were inappropriate."
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 Intl. & NRI News |