Duke of York skewers Bush’s policy

The Queen's middle son, Prince Andrew, has broken with protocol by launching a broadside against American foreign policy, particularly as regards Iraq. The surprise attack from the Duke of York - better known in the tabloids as 'Air Miles Andy' - is all the more shocking because he was not thought to have geopolitical concerns at the forefront of his mind, other than the pursuit of a better golf handicap on the world’s most far-flung courses.

But in an interview with the International Herald Tribune, the 47-year-old, who served in the Royal Navy for 22 years and saw active service as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War, criticised George Bush's administration for failing to listen to the advice of allies such as the UK. The prince, who now acts as a trade envoy for Britain, told the newspaper that there were "occasions when people in the UK would wish that those in responsible positions in the US might listen and learn from our experiences".

He went on to say that Britain, because of its experiences in Empire and decolonisation, had knowledge that the US might have benefited from, if the Bush team had been prepared to listen. "If you are looking at colonialism, if you are looking at operations on an international scale, if you are looking at understanding each other's culture, understanding how to operate in a military insurgency campaign - we have been through them all."

A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed that the Tribune had not misrepresented the prince's views, and said that he didn't see the remarks as being "particularly critical or controversial", This is not a view held in Washington, where a White House insider said that the prince's views, and the propriety of his airing them, were something they "would not want to touch with a bargepole".