Palace officials have categorically denied claims made by Simon Cowell, that the Queen once snubbed him and Prince Phillip called him a sponger.

Cowell said: “It was actually embarrassing. It is called the Royal Variety Show, so she is in the audience.

“At the end, if you are involved in it, you have to stand around for hours and then say ‘hello’. She ignored me and her husband called me a sponger.

“I think he was trying to be rude. So I just mumbled something and he walked off.”

A Palace spokesman told the Daily Mail: “The Duke of Edinburgh categorically did not call Mr Cowell a sponger. He has no reason to.

“He has said he does not know enough about Mr Cowell to make any sort of comment about him. Mr. Cowell may have misheard the Duke, he has a very soft voice.”

The Palace added: “The Queen doesn’t ignore people. She has many people to meet after such a show.”