I didn’t pimp the Prince, says PM of Antigua... so why should I say sorry?
Antigua PM hits back at claims he embarrassed Harry with beauty queens
IT WAS an excruciating moment as Prince Harry was left biting his lip and fiddling with his shirt when the Prime Minister of Antigua joked about his romance with US actress Meghan Markle.
But yesterday the island’s premier Gaston Browne refused to apologise for suggesting the couple might like to honeymoon on his island and said he had not been trying to ‘pimp the prince’ when he introduced him to a group of beauty queens.
Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday yesterday, Mr Browne admitted his comments, made last week during Harry’s visit to the island, may have been ‘awkward’ for the Prince.
But he said: ‘You apologise if there was an offence. It wasn’t something that made the Prince upset, or created any problems.’
The foot-in-mouth moment came when Mr Browne told Harry at a reception in front of 300 guests last week: ‘I believe we are expecting a new princess soon. I want you to know that you are very welcome to come on your honeymoon here.’
Then, introducing the Prince to a group of scantily clad dancers, the Prime Minister joked: ‘Whatever is done here, stays here. So do not worry.’
Mr Browne tried to explain his comments yesterday, describing Miss Markle as ‘extremely gorgeous’ and ‘a class act’, and adding she would make ‘beautiful babies’ with Prince Harry.
He said: ‘As he is in what appears to be a serious relationship, I would imagine there is a possibility they could get married. I do accept that whenever the subject of marriage is raised it is going to create a little awkward feeling for a male.
‘I can imagine that he would have been perturbed if there has been some sly remark. But if anything it was an endorsement of the relationship, so I don’t see how that could have hurt.’
Mr Browne also revealed he had asked Harry for a second time about bringing Miss Markle to Antigua – but for a holiday instead of a honeymoon. He said there had been
‘no objection to the proposal’. Mr Browne said his comments about the beauty queens were intended to stop Harry feeling self-conscious about ‘having a little dance’ – and that he was not ‘trying to pimp the prince’. He said: ‘It’s all tasteful stuff here.’
Harry continued his tour yesterday in St Vincent, where he visited a project raising awareness of endan- gered sea turtles. He was also pictured drinking from a coconut at the Vermont Nature Trail. He is due to visit nearby Grenada tomorrow.
The Prince has spent some of his time aboard a Royal Navy service vessel where he would have been offered the crew’s favourite dish, known as a cheesy hammy eggy – cheese on toast, a slice of processed ham, and a fried egg on top.
Meanwhile, it was suggested yes- terday that Prince William is dismayed at Harry’s decision to confirm publicly his romance with Miss Markle as he believes this will only serve to fuel speculation.
And the Financial Times reported that relations between Kensington Palace’s PR team and the press are tense because of an increasingly aggressive line towards the print media and a favouring of social media such as Facebook.
‘There’s no problem... It’s all tasteful stuff here’