If I've made a mistake about Prince Harry's flying credentials 'I will hold my hands up' Says Emma Dent Coad

Labour MP Emma Dent Coad today admitted she might have been wrong over Prince Harry’s military record but refused to apologise for mocking him.

The Kensington MP sparked anger by taking a swipe at the prince, and for also claiming Prince Philip had been unfaithful to the Queen.

She insisted that her comments were just “poking fun” but admitted they had “opened the gates to hell” by causing a furious backlash.

Republican Ms Dent Coad this morning told the Standard: “If we can’t have a debate are we living in a democracy? I live in a democracy and think I should be able to say something.

“This is a debate, not a revolution. I want a debate about taxpayers funding the royal family.”

After wrongly claiming at a fringe meeting at Labour’s conference that Prince Harry is not a qualified helicopter pilot, she added: “I actually also said, ‘I have been told this [about Prince Harry], but if I have made a mistake I will hold my hands up’.”

But she stopped short of apologising and when asked about accusing Prince Philip of having affairs, she said: “Oh no, shock horror. I’m not going to respond to that, everyone knows what’s going on... I don’t want to get into the detail of it because it’s got out of hand.”

She added: “I was talking about whether taxpayers should fund the royal family.

“I was just poking fun. But we need a proper debate about the royal family. It’s about taxpayer funding. Why are taxpayers funding them? Why can’t I disagree? It seems like we are not allowed to have an opinion.

"I’m being called everything under the sun this morning, getting all sorts of vile abuse. This has opened the gates to hell. ”

At the fringe meeting Ms Dent Coad had incorrectly claimed Prince Harry  cannot fly helicopters and “just sits there going ‘vroom vroom’”.  In fact he has served in the Army for a decade, completed two tours of Afghanistan and rose to the rank of captain.

She claimed that Prince Philip had been “mucking about for years, he’s not been a faithful husband”. She also said it was “disgusting” that the Duchess of Cambridge had bought sweaters costing £150, adding: “That’s a food bill for a family of four.”

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner told Sky News that Prince Harry has “been doing a fantastic job” for injured Forces veterans.