Charles sees the sport in Pommy-baiting even if ECB stuffed shirts want to hedge their pasty players against the sledge Some, but not all, Pommy cricket fans and writers were left frothing at the mouth by The Courier-Mail's 'Broad ban' campaign. Prince Charles, who went to Geelong Grammar's Timbertop School in the 1960s, clearly has a better grasp of Aussie humour. Picture: Andrew Yates Source: AFP ASHES cricket sledging has been given a right royal stamp of approval by Prince Charles. While English Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke whinges about The Gabba banter from the first Test of the series in Brisbane, the Prince of Wales has welcomed the lively rivalry between the nations. "Thank God I was born an artist and not an opening batsman," the heir-to-the-throne joked as he toured an exhibition of Australian paintings at London's Royal Academy of Arts. "Any moment now is the start of the cricket again but what keeps us awake is the bit of Pommy-baiting now and again, otherwise the cricket would come to a halt," he said. The Prince's sporting spirits is in sharp contrast to Mr Clarke and the stuffed shirts across town at Lords, who have suggested a boycott of The Gabba on future tours. The English were upset at the Queensland crowd chanting "Stuart Broad is a wanker," targeting the bowler over his cheating in the previous Ashes series during this year's English summer. And many Pommy cricket fans and writers were left frothing at the mouth by The Courier-Mail's "Broad ban" campaign, in which the newspaper refused to use his name, referring instead to a "27-year-old medium pace bowler" for the duration of the Test. But Prince Charles, who went to Geelong Grammar's Timbertop School in the 1960s, clearly has a better grasp of Aussie humour and has previously talked about being on the receiving end. "I have gone through my fair share of being called a Pommy bastard, I can assure you of that," he told an Australia Day function with a laugh two years ago. But look what it has done for me. By God, it was good for the character. If you want to develop character, go to Australia. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla this week toured the exhibition of 209 of Australia's best-loved and most historic paintings by artists including Arthur Boyd, Albert Namatjira, Arthur Streeton, Charles Meere and Tom Roberts. He said his love of Australia had remained with him for nearly half a century since his time here as a teenager and described the landscape as "an integral part of Australia's national identity."