LONDON, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- British Princess Michael of Kent has apologized for wearing a controversial brooch to a Christmas banquet held at Buckingham Palace Thursday.

The brooch, featuring a black man in a gold headdress, is considered by some critics as bearing demeaning images of Africans.

Prince Harry's fiancee Meghan Markle, whose mother is an African-American, was also present at the dinner.

A spokesman for Princess Michael said late Friday that she was "very sorry and distressed" that such a brooch had caused offense. He added that the brooch "was a gift and has been worn many times before."

The image of Princess Michael wearing the brooch on her way to Buckingham Palace has drawn her heavy criticism on social media. Many say her behavior is "disrespectful" and "blatantly racist."

Princess Michael, born Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in former Czechoslovakia, entered the British royal family in 1978 when she married Prince Michael of Kent, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.