It has been interesting what you turn up when you start looking at words. Take the word "piccaninnie", or whatever way you wish to spell it (There are literally dozens of different spellings the world over) but it would appear that only in the UK and in the USA is it considered racist or derogatory.

In the Caribbean, Northern Territory in Australia, throughout Melanesia and in Papua New Guinea it just means small or a child (Any child). I think it was on the 10th January, 2002 that Boris Johnson came out with his sarcastic article about "the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies." which he later apologised for. Advance the clock some ten years or so and here is how HRH Prince Charles was officially referred to in the Press in Papua New Guinea - "nambawan pikinini blong Kwin" and apparently he was not offended at all, he even adopted it when talking to native speakers of the Tok Pisin language.

As the usage of the term has all but died out in our language, where it never belonged in the first place, I think I would leave it to those who do use it daily to determine if it is offensive or not.

But just had a thought though in the context that Boris used the term. IF what he had in mind when he wrote his article and he was describing the Queen visiting Melanesia, then in their local parlance and usage he wasn't being too inaccurate and he would certainly not be regarded as being offensive . In Vanuatu, on the Island of Tanna out in the Melanesian chain the population regard HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as some sort of deity - no accounting for taste. But according to their culture and folklore they believe that he is their ancestral spirit as one of their legends tells of a pale skinned man who sailed across the Oceans to find and marry a rich and powerful woman. Now I can see how to them Prince Philip would fit the bill.