Nov 18, 2009, 11:04 GMT
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has been branded "a sad little old lady" by comedian Ben Elton.
The 50-year-old comic stunned fans with a tirade against the British royal family on Australian television that also saw him hint the monarch's son Prince Edward was homosexual and her other child, Prince Charles was branded a "dillusioned ex-hippy."
Speaking on comedy quiz show 'Good News Week', Ben - who was given the word 'queen' in a word association game - said: "She's a sad little old lady who lives in state-sponsored accommodation.
"Her husband is a mad old bigot who wishes it was still the war, three out of four of her kids' marriages have failed - that's very common. The eldest one is a disillusioned ex-hippy, the middle one a bit of a yob, the youngest lad we used to think took it from behind."
After making the crude aside to Prince Edward being gay, he added: "That's a bog-standard British family in all its rainbow glory.
"If she had a black one and a disabled one she'd have the full deck."
Outraged viewers hit back after the show with one royal fan, Hazel Spooner, describing Elton's performance as "vile and crude".
She added: "He was like a spoilt child saying more and more outrageous things just for the attention. If that is what he thinks Australians want, he can stay in Britain, thank you very much."
Another viewer, Michelle Astley, 34, of Melbourne, said: "The things he said about the royal family were disgusting."
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