Prince has sparked a row over gay marriage by allegedly telling a journalist that he didn't think it was “right”.

In what was a wide ranging interview with the New Yorker, the singer, a practising Jehovah's Witness, spoke candidly about his apparent social conservative lifestyle.

"God came to Earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, 'Enough',” Prince said.

The singer, who also revealed that his religion led him to make door-to-door visits around his local neighbourhood, appeared to suggest that gay marriage was condoned by the Democratic party in the US.

"You've got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to [the Bible]. But there's the problem of interpretation, and you've got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn't," he said.

“And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you've got blue, you've got the Democrats, and they're, like, 'You can do whatever you want.' Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right."

The interview has been denounced by the celebrity blogger Prez Hilton, who claims that Prince has been "grossly misquoted and misinterpreted".

But the New Yorker has confirmed that it will stand behind the story and Clare Hoffman, the journalist who conducted the interview.

(by Jason Gregory)