A Church of England bishop has
apologised for saying he believes Prince William and Kate Middleton’s marriage
would only last for seven years.
The Rt Rev Pete Broadbent, Bishop
of Willesden, admitted his comments, posted on Facebook, were “deeply
offensive”.
He said he has passed on his
“sincere regrets” to the Prince of Wales and the newly-engaged couple
for any “distress” he has caused.
The offending comments contained
reference to the Royal Family as “philanderers”.
He also described the media furore
surrounding the wedding as “nauseating tosh”, likening the Prince and
his fiancée to “shallow celebrities”.
On the day of the royal wedding
announcement the bishop also made derogatory comments on Twitter.
His post read: “Need to work out
what date in the spring or summer I should be booking my republican day trip to
France…”
But in the statement offering his
apology, he said: “I recognise that the tone of my language and the content
of what I said were deeply offensive, and I apologise unreservedly for the hurt
caused.
“It was unwise of me to engage
in a debate with others on a semi-public internet forum and to express myself
in such language.
“I wish Prince William and
Kate Middleton a happy and lifelong marriage, and will hold them in my
prayers.”
The comments sparked a new Facebook
group calling for the bishop to resign.
However, a Church of England
spokesperson said: “He’s a bishop, he’s an individual, and he’s got his
own views.”
A source close to the clergyman
also pointed out that: “The bishop had actually written he didn’t think
the marriage would last more than seven years because of harassment by the
press, but I imagine the full quote was not printed.”
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