London - The Duke of Edinburgh has expressed regret over a remark he made that a fuse box in a high-tech electronics company looked "as though it was put in by an Indian".
A Buckingham Palace spokesman yesterday said: "The Duke of Edinburgh regrets any offence which may have been caused by remarks he is reported as making earlier today. With hindsight he accepts that what were intended as light-hearted comments were inappropriate."
The Duke's comment came as he toured the Racal-MESL factory near Edinburgh before unveiling an award for its ground-breaking rail safety system technology. As he walked around the building, he stopped in a corridor and looked up at the fuse box, which appeared somewhat less sophisticated than other devices in the factory, with electric cables stretching into the ceiling above.
Mr Terry Nisbet, managing director of the company, noticed the Duke's interest and joked: "That's the national grid." The Duke replied: "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian."