BBC fires broadcaster after royal baby chimpanzee tweet

The BBC has fired a British radio presenter for his racist tweets.

Meghan Markle, famous US actor who married Britain's Prince Harry, gave birth on Monday to a baby boy. Pictures of the eagerly-awaited child were released on Wednesday.

Danny Baker, a broadcaster with BBC Radio 5 Live, tweeted an image of a chimpanzee in clothes with the caption "Royal Baby leaves hospital" on Wednesday.

Archie is the first mixed-race child to be born into a senior position in British royalty in recent history.

"Just got fired," Baker said on Twitter on Thursday.

"This was a serious error of judgement," the BBC said. The tweet was a serious error of judgment that went "against the values we as a station aim to embody," the organisation added.

"Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us," the BBC said.

In a follow-up tweet, Baker claimed the joke was misinterpreted and his dismissal from the BBC was just "his turn in the barrel".

Markle, whose mother is African-American and father is white, has been the target of racism online and in print ever since she got engaged to Harry. 

The actor, used to coverage of her as Rachel Zane in US television series "Suits", started making the headlines in England for being "straight outta Compton". 

British tabloids, ignoring her husband's pleas, also continued to target her family ahead of her wedding to Harry.

Markle married the ex-soldier younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in May 2018. An audience of millions around the world watched the televised wedding ceremony at Windsor Castle, 32 kilometres (20 miles) west of London.