The Prince of Wales has been caught up in a racism row after a non-white woman claimed he joked about whether she was really from her home town of Manchester.

Anita Sethi said she was left feeling shocked, humiliated and angry following the incident during one of the many Commonwealth events staged this week in the run up to a major summit of Commonwealth leaders.

She has now questioned whether the heir to the throne should be the next head of the Commonwealth – a multi-cultural institution with member countries from areas like Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.

Ms Sethi, a writer, said in an opinion piece penned for the Guardian newspaper that Charles had asked her where she was from when they met briefly during the Commonwealth People’s Forum earlier this week in London, where she was a guest speaker.

When she replied “Manchester, UK” she said that he quipped “Well, you don’t look like it!” and laughed.

The writer, whose mother was born in Guyana, wrote in the Guardian: “That the mooted next leader of an organisation that represents one-third of the people on the planet commented that I, a brown woman, did not look as if I was from a city in the UK is shocking.”

She went on to say: “Of course, allegations of racism are not new for the Royal Family. The Duke Of Edinburgh has made numerous contentious comments; and only last year Princess Michael of Kent wore a blackamoor brooch while meeting Prince Harry’s fiancee, Meghan Markle.”

Philip’s comments often led to controversy, but he was once branded a “national treasure” by the press for his inability to curb his off-the-cuff remarks.

During a state visit to China in 1986 he told British students: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.”

Clarence House declined to comment.