Compounding the issue was Clarkson's invitation to a lunch hosted by the Queen Consort and Prince Harry's stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles.
On Monday, Clarkson finally addressed the backlash, saying he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” but failing to apologise for his comments.
“Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future,” he tweeted.
Buckingham Palace is yet to comment on the matter. The offensive article has since been taken down as per Clarkson's request, according to the publication.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, stepped down from royal duties in March 2020, saying they wanted to forge new lives in the US away from media harassment. In a six-part Netflix documentary series which concluded last week, Meghan spoke about her treatment by the media leaving her feeling suicidal.
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Jeremy Clarkson breaks silence on ‘clumsy reference’ in Meghan column but fails to apologise
Broadcaster wrote that he “hated” the duchess on a “cellular level”
Image: Amazon Prime Video
British journalist and TV show host Jeremy Clarkson has broken his silence amid a backlash after his controversial column in The Sun newspaper featuring unsavoury comments about the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
In a column published on Friday, Clarkson, who gained worldwide fame as presenter of motoring show Top Gear, wrote of Meghan: “I hate her. Not like I hate (Scottish First Minister) Nicola Sturgeon or (serial killer) Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.
“At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, 'Shame!' and throw lumps of excrement at her.”
The column drew widespread criticism and attracted 6,000 complaints against the former Top Gear host and The Sun since its publication. This is according to Britain's press standards regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
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Compounding the issue was Clarkson's invitation to a lunch hosted by the Queen Consort and Prince Harry's stepmother Camilla Parker-Bowles.
On Monday, Clarkson finally addressed the backlash, saying he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” but failing to apologise for his comments.
“Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future,” he tweeted.
Buckingham Palace is yet to comment on the matter. The offensive article has since been taken down as per Clarkson's request, according to the publication.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, stepped down from royal duties in March 2020, saying they wanted to forge new lives in the US away from media harassment. In a six-part Netflix documentary series which concluded last week, Meghan spoke about her treatment by the media leaving her feeling suicidal.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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