Bank of England's Mervyn King criticized UK Prime Minister

Bank of England Governor Mervyn King leaves the British prime minister's offices at 10 Downing Street in central London August 4, 2010.

LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mervyn King accused British Prime Minister David Cameron and finance minister George Osborne of a "lack of depth," the Guardian newspaper said on its website on Sunday.

The Guardian is one of a number of publications worldwide to have had early access to some 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables obtained by whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.

The newspaper also said the cables contained criticism of British military operations in Afghanistan and U.S. shock at what the newspaper called the "rude behavior" of royal family member Prince Andrew when abroad.

Governor King's comments were reportedly made to the U.S. ambassador, but the timing and further details were not immediately available. However, the most recent of the leaked cables were said to be from February, when Cameron and Osborne were still in opposition.

Cameron took office in May. Ironically, Bank of England policymaker Adam Posen criticized King last week, saying he had strayed into politics by endorsing the Conservative-led coalition's austerity plan shortly after the May election.

U.S. ambassador Louis Susman, who had briefed Cameron on the leaks last week, condemned their publication.

"However, I am confident that our uniquely productive relationship with the United Kingdom will remain close and strong, focused on promoting our shared objectives and values," he said in a statement.

The Guardian, which will publish further details of the cables over coming days, said U.S. commanders, Afghan president Hamid Karzai and local officials in Helmand had criticized the British military for failure to impose security around the town of Sangin in southern Afghanistan.

Britain has more than 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, the second largest contingent after the United States. Britain has lost 345 troops in the conflict -- around a third of them in the Sangin area.

British troops handed responsibility for the area over to U.S. troops earlier this year.

Prince Andrew, the royal whose behavior is in the spotlight, is the second son of Queen Elizabeth. Aged 50, he served as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Navy during the 1982 Falklands War.