Engagement comment by bishop sparks uproar

London: A prominent bishop has provoked a storm of outrage by likening Prince William and Kate Middleton to "shallow celebrities" and predicting their marriage will last just seven years.

On his Facebook page, Church of England Bishop Pete Broadbent describes the Royal Family as "philanderers" with a record of marriage break-ups who "cost an arm and a leg".

National flimflam

He also denounces the "nauseating tosh" surrounding the "national flimflam" of the wedding and says the basis of the monarchy is "corrupt and sexist".