The Prince of Wales and his two sons call a polo-playing Asian friend by the nickname Sooty. The revelation comes two days after Prince Harry apologised for referring to a fellow former Sandhurst cadet as “our little Paki friend”.

The nickname Sooty is used by the princes to address Kuldip Dhillon, a wealthy property developer, when they play together at the Cirencester Polo Club near the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove estate.

One member of the club, who asked not to be named, said that the sobriquet was a way of “putting two fingers up to political correctness”. He added: “Charles, along with both of his boys, have called this chap Sooty because it is his nickname and he is perfectly comfortable with it. I suppose that we all see this as a sort of running joke about political correctness.” He added: “They [the princes] are no more racists than I am, and I use the word to address this chap whenever I see him, too.”

Mr Dhillon, 58, whose family is of Indian origin, and whose son Satnam, 31, is a professional polo player who has represented England and also played alongside princes Charles, William and Harry, is a former chairman of the Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA).

Last night Mr Dhillon said that the nickname was “a term of affection”. He said in a statement: “I have to say that you know you have arrived when you acquire a nickname. I enjoy being called Sooty by my friends, who I am sure universally use the name as a term of affection with no offence meant or felt.

“The Prince of Wales is a man of zero prejudice and both his sons have always been most respectful.”

A friend of Mr Dhillon’s at SUPA said: “The princes and other royalty have called him that [Sooty] since I first met him, and that was about 15 or 16 years ago. He’s never upset about that. It’s an affectionate nickname, after all.”

A spokesman for Give Racism the Red Card, a charity dedicated to eradicating racism in sport, said: “In our view there’s no friendly banter where racism is concerned. The members of the Royal Family, with all the money that’s been spent on their education, should be aware that calling people ‘Sooty’ is unacceptable.”

Clarence House denied yesterday that the Prince of Wales or any member of the Royal Family was racist. A spokesman said: “The Prince of Wales has a very strong view on racial intolerance. No one has been more of an advocate for the understanding and tolerance of various religious and ethnic groups and his record speaks volumes on this issue.”

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