British Council executive investigated over Prince George comments

The British Council, a cultural relations nonprofit funded by the U.K.'s foreign office dedicated to promoting the country's values and language abroad, announced Tuesday that it has initiated disciplinary procedures against an employee who disparaged Prince George on Facebook.

Angela Gibbins, who heads up the charity's global estates unit, left a comment on a photo of the three-year-old prince saying, "White privilege. That cheeky grin is the innate knowledge that he's royal, rich, advantages (sic) and will never know any difficulties or hardships in life. Let's find photos of 3 (year-old) Syrian refugees and see if they look alike, eh?"

She also used an expletive to describe the toddler's facial expression in the picture, which was taken for a series of stamps commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday. The photo was released in April.

In a statement posted on its website, the British Council said that Gibbins' remarks were made on a private social media account and do not represent its views. The organization has a royal charter and Queen Elizabeth as its patron.

Contributing: The Associated Press