The MP at the centre of a media storm following comments she made about the Monarchy has released a statement saying she had ‘made a joke’, and her comments ‘were taken the wrong way.’

Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, Emma Dent Coad MP told a group of activists that Harry can’t actually fly a helicopter and “just sits there going ‘vroom vroom.’”

At an anti-monarchy meeting, Ms Dent Coad said that she is ‘The Royal Family’s worst nightmare’ and made claims about Prince Harry, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Edinburgh.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, The 62-year-old said: “As MP for Kensington, where I was born and bred, I am ashamed of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s status as the most unequal borough in Britain.

“The government has recently found £3bn to restore Buckingham Palace, a palace with 52 Royal and guest bedrooms and over 188 staff bedrooms. It is lived in by just three members of the Royal Family. In addition, the government finds £3bn a year to support the Royal Family, including millions to refurbish apartments for their use in Kensington Palace.

“Meanwhile, a short walk away, survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have been abandoned in pokey hotel rooms for 15 weeks because there are no homes available for them.”

She adds: “Many of them are refugees, and some are former soldiers. I have total respect for them and the sacrifices they have made for their home countries and for ours. Army veterans are treated very poorly by the government; a close associate served in Iraq and Afghanistan and returned suffering from shock and PTSD. It took years to get a diagnosis, the system is punitive and he suffered unimaginably.

“On Monday night I made a joke. It has been taken the wrong way. Can we look at the real issues facing us now?”