Kerry Washington deletes tweet about Prince Philip and DMX together in heaven after fierce backlash

Actress Kerry Washington has come under fire for tweeting a combined tribute to Prince Philip and DMX.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, and rap superstar, 50, both died on Friday, sending shockwaves across the world.

While attempting to send her condolences to the families of both men, Washington, 44, mused on what sort of topics the pair would discuss while waiting at heaven’s door.

"Anybody else wondering what DMX and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip are chatting about together at the pearly gates?,” she wrote.

“My love to both their families. May they both Rest in Peace.”

Read more:

• Shopper who coughed on cancer sufferer is jailed for 30 days
• Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife called a woman to give her $8m with no strings attached
• 17 key milestones in Prince Philip’s life – In pictures
• The 10 best DMX tracks to play in honor of rap legend this weekend
• 20 of Prince Philip’s most famous – and controversial – gaffes and one-liners

The well-meaning message was met with a fierce backlash on Twitter, with fellow users branding it tone-deaf and “corny”.

Hours later, the post vanished from her account.

Many users were furious at the suggestion that the British royal – who is known to have made a number of offensive comments and jokes about ethnic minorities – would have gone to the same afterlife as the American hip-hop star.

Here’s what they had to say:

However, others jumped to the Scandal star’s defence:

Washington hasn’t commented on the deletion.