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Lady Colin Campbell dropped from Christmas lights switch-on over Prince Andrew comments

Lady Colin Campbell had been due to turn on the Christmas lights in Tetbury (Credit: PA)
Lady Colin Campbell had been due to turn on the Christmas lights in Tetbury (PA)

Lady Colin Campbell has been dropped from switching on the Christmas lights in Prince Charles’ local town following her comments about Prince Andrew.

The aristocrat and star of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2015 appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain earlier this week to discuss Prince Andrew’s much criticised Newsnight interview and the duke’s relationship with disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who died in his prison cell in August.

The 70-year-old royal biographer was due to turn on the Christmas lights in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, close to Prince Charles' Highgrove estate, on 6 December.

Read more: Lady Colin Campbell defends Prince Andrew

But Tetbury Town Council has said in a statement: "The Town Council has been advised by the organisers of the Christmas Lights Switch on Event that, in view of the recent controversy, they have decided to ask the Mayor to turn on the Christmas Lights, with a pupil from St Mary’s Primary School."

MEGHAN MARKLE: AN AMERICAN PRINCESS: Lady Colin Campbell, aristocrat, in the MEGHAN MARKLE: AN AMERICAN PRINCESS special airing Friday, May 11 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)
Lady Colin Campbell has written several biographies about the Royal Family (Getty Images)

Lady Colin Campbell appeared on GMB to defend the Duke of York’s friendship with Epstein.

During the discussion she said: "You all seem to have forgotten that Jeffrey Epstein, the offence with which he was charged and for which he was imprisoned, was for soliciting prostitution from minors.

"That is not the same thing as paedophilia."

Epstein served nearly 13 months in custody after pleading guilty to procuring and soliciting a person under 18 for prostitution. He was convicted of these two crimes in a widely criticised plea deal, while federal officials had reportedly identified 36 girls who had been abused by Epstein, some of whom were as young as 14.

Before his death, Epstein had been arrested in July on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors in New York and Florida.

Read more: Lady Colin Campbell recalls her time on I'm A Celebrity

Colin Campbell appeared in the 15th series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! but quit the show on “medical grounds”.

Earlier this year she attracted controversy for saying that the #MeToo movement has "prevented men from being men".