An Isle of Wight councillor has come under fire for saying 'royal outcast' Prince Andrew should have been given his father's title of Duke of Edinburgh, as he's 'more worthy' than his brother, Prince Edward.

Defending his comments, Cllr Ian Ward, Conservative, told the County Press he can 'relate' to Prince Andrew as they both have a military background.

The remarks, which were posted on his 'Cllr Ian Ward BEM - Sandown South' Facebook page, said the Duke of York was better placed to 'fill his father's shoes' as he is a 'decorated serviceman'.

The post has since been deleted after backlash.

On Facebook, one person said: "It was a shocking view for an elected official to have, never mind being willing to say it in public. I'm horrified!"

Cllr Ian Ward's full Facebook post can be read below:

"O Dear! The king has honoured Prince Edward by appointing him as the Duke of Edinburgh.

"Prince Philip was a decorated serviceman, a senior officer in the Royal Navy and fought in the Second World War. Prince Edward didn't even finish his military training!! He doesn't come close to filling his father shoes.

"Despite being a royal outcast now, Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy and fought in combat operations in Falklands War.

"In my humble opinion, Prince Andrew is more worthy of filling his Father's shoes!"

Cllr Ward's comments have proved controversial given sexual assault allegations surrounding the Duke of York.

A civil case lawsuit was settled out of court last year. Prior to that, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages.

In a statement to the County Press, Cllr Ward said: "When I was in the Army I met Prince Phillip on a number of occasions as he was the Colonel in Chief of my Corps.   He was highly decorated for his service prior to and during combat in the war.  Because of that experience he did relate to service personnel like myself as comrades.

"Prince Andrew is also a decorated, combat experienced officer who I have also met and to whom I can relate.  Clearly Prince Andrew had similar experience to Prince Phillip and I felt could have been a better replacement for Prince Phillip.  I did state that Andrew was now an outcast thus recognising his mistakes.

"I have also met Prince Edward twice but I did not feel that comradeship connection.

"I deleted my post because clearly others did not know about my military connection and reasons for my opinion."

Outgoing Isle of Wight Conservative chair, David Pugh, who leaves his role later this year, said: "One of the things I won't miss about the role is having to respond to media queries about Ian Ward's social media posts."

Conservative council leader, Cllr Joe Robertson, said he does not think Cllr Ward's comments are appropriate and that he disagrees with them.

He said: "I welcome the news that the King has conferred the title of Duke of Edinburgh on Prince Edward. It is a title that we all associate with his father and I have no doubt that Prince Edward will continue to follow in his father’s footsteps with the same sense of duty and dedication.”