British Royals release picture of "ethnic" friend to diffuse race row.

The British royal family has released a picture of a close friend they call "Sooty" in order to prove that they have friends from the ethnic minority community. The move comes amidst a race row fuelled by recent revelations that showed Prince Harry reffering to a fellow Asian army officer as a "Paki."

"Sooty has been a close personal friend for years," said the statement "When he comes over to Buckingham Palace, he drinks Lilt and eats curries - we even provide him with chopsticks." However, the picture has itself stirred controversy, as it appears not to depict a member of an ethnic minority at all, but rather a sooted up white coal-miner. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment further.