Radio DJ Danny Baker has been fired by BBC Radio 5 after widespread criticism over a tweet he published about the new royal baby.
The broadcaster tweeted a black and white photo showing a well-dressed man and woman holding hands with a suited chimpanzee with the words 'Royal baby leaves hospital'.
He took the tweet down and apologised following a large backlash, but bosses at the BBC fired him on Thursday morning.
He said the tweet was supposed to poke fun at the Royal family and he had not realised the possible ways it might have been interpreted.
Meghan Markle's secret tribute to dad Harry as royal baby name meaning is revealed
The 61-year-old, who had presented a weekend show on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "Sorry my gag pic of the little fella in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because, well, mind not diseased.
"Soon as those good enough to point out its possible connotations got in touch, down it came. And that's it."
Later, he added: "Once again. Sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. Was supposed to be joke about Royals vs circus animals in posh clothes but interpreted as about monkeys & race, so rightly deleted.
"Royal watching not my forte. Also, guessing it was my turn in the barrel."
On Thursday morning, he tweeted: "Would have used same stupid pic for any other Royal birth or Boris Johnson kid or even one of my own.
"It's a funny image. (Though not of course in that context.) Enormous mistake, for sure. Grotesque. Anyway, here's to ya Archie, Sorry mate."
A BBC spokesman said: "This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. Danny's a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us."
First picture as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle show off baby son to the world
The tweet came as Prince Harry and his wife Meghan introduced their new son, Archie Harrison, to the world.
In a carefully managed photocall, the baby slept peacefully as his proud parents described him as a "dream baby".
Later, he was pictured meeting his great-grandparents, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, for the first time.
