LONDON, March 5, 2009 (AFP) - Britain's Prince Charles has beaten off competition from US President Barack Obama to be named the world's best dressed man by Esquire magazine.

Prince Charles - Photo : Carl de Souza/AFP

"He is perfectly turned out in a double-breasted suit. Admirably, the prince keeps his wardrobe in appropriate style: we're told he has a room laid out like a tailor's shop," the men's magazine said.

Prince Charles, 60, keeps it simple and has worn suits by Saville Row tailors Gieves and Hawkes, complete with pocket handkerchief and silk tie, for years. Esquire said he was "always incredibly well dressed".

The prince, who is heir to the British throne, beat off competition from Obama -- who came fourth in the top ten -- artist David Hockney (seventh), tennis player Roger Federer (eighth) and US rapper Andre 3000 (tenth).

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, however, was named one of the worst dressed, with the magazine noting he had once "turned up in the Iraqi desert wearing black lace-ups".

London Mayor Boris Johnson -- renowned for his slightly chaotic appearance -- was also criticised for having "jacket pockets like second-hand bookshops, and hair the result of an encounter with a ghost in a wind tunnel".