Jeremy Clarkson’s column on Meghan draws a wave of criticism

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LONDON (AP) British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson said on Monday he was “horrified to have done so much wrong” with a scathing column about Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan, that has sparked a flood of complaints.

Clarkson, who hosts the car show ‘The Grand Tour’ on Amazon, wrote in the tabloid The Sun that he hated the former Meghan Markle “on a cellular level” and dreamed of her parading naked in British cities “during as the crowd chants ‘Shame!’ and throw pieces of excrement at it.

The press regulator said it had received more than 6,000 complaints about the column, nearly half the total number of complaints received last year.

Clarkson, who made a name for himself as the combative host of the BBC’s ‘Top Gear’ motoring show, said the public-shaming image was ‘a clumsy reference’ to a scene from ‘Game of Thrones”.

“I am horrified to have done so much harm and will be more careful in the future,” he wrote on Twitter.

Clarkson’s column followed the release of a six-part Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the British royal family. The couple quit royal duties and moved to California in 2020, citing a lack of palace support and racist press treatment of Meghan, who is biracial.

Clarkson’s column was condemned by public figures, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who called it “deeply misogynistic and just downright awful and awful”.

Clarkson’s daughter, Emily Clarkson, posted on Instagram: “I oppose everything my dad has written about Meghan Markle and continue to support those targeted by hate online.”

Asked about the article, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “for everyone in public life, language matters”. He added that “I absolutely do not believe that Britain is a racist country”.

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