Meghan Markle and Prince Harry react to Jeremy Clarkson’s recent public apology.
On Monday, the British TV presenter shared a statement expressing regret for writing a controversial article published by The Sun in December. At the time, the 62-year-old wrote that he hated the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level” and dreamed of her marching naked through British cities, “while the crowd said ‘Shame!’ chanted. and throw clumps of excrement at them.”
While Clarkson claimed he reached out to the couple on Christmas Day, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dismissed his claim, noting that he only reached out to Harry.
“On December 25, 2022, Mr. Clarkson wrote exclusively to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex,” read a statement sent to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “The content of his correspondence has been marked as private and confidential.”
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A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a statement with Fox News Digital on Tuesday in response to Jeremy Clarkson’s apology on Instagram. (Rosa Woods/Pool/Getty Images)
“While Mr. Clarkson issued a new public apology today, his longstanding pattern of writing articles promoting hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny remains to be addressed,” the statement said. “Unless all of his other pieces were also written ‘in a hurry,’ as he says, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident to be shared in a hurry, but rather a series of articles to be shared in hate.”
Clarkson, whose apology was posted on Instagram, wrote: “One of the strange things that has struck me lately is that whenever an MP or well-known person is asked to apologize for something, no matter how heartily or profound that apology may be, it’s never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.”
Clarkson claimed he felt “sick” to see the “terrifying” story in print.
“I was thinking of the scene in Game of Thrones, but I forgot to mention it,” Clarkson explained. “So it looked like I was actually calling for heinous violence to be rained down on Meghan’s head.”
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Clarkson said he was “ashamed” and “angry at myself” after publishing his article.
“I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women,” he wrote. “Yet I seem to advocate just that.”
“So I wrote everyone who works with me how sorry I am and then on Christmas morning I emailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologize to them as well,” he shared. “I said I was taken aback by what they said on TV but that the language I used in my column was disgraceful and that I was deeply sorry.”
“So can I go on now? I’m not sure,” Clarkson admitted. “It’s hard to be interesting and alert at the same time… But I promise I’ll try.”
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Jeremy Clarkson’s controversial column immediately sparked backlash. (Nick England/Getty Images)
“So this morning I’m going to try to buck the trend by apologizing for the things I said about Meghan Markle in a recent Sun column,” he shared. “I’m really sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. That’s how I raise my hands.
“I usually read what I’ve written to someone else before submitting it, but I was home alone on that fateful day and in a hurry,” Clarkson continued. “When I was done, I just hit send. And when the column came out the next day, the land mine exploded.”
Clarkson’s original column prompted an immediate backlash. According to the Independent Press Standards Organization, more than 12,000 complaints were received, almost equal to the total number of complaints received in all of 2021.
The article was also condemned by public figures, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who called it “deeply misogyny and just plain awful and awful”.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed their struggles with the British press in the Netflix documentaries ‘Harry & Meghan’. (netflix)
Clarkson’s daughter, Emily Clarkson, took to Instagram and wrote, “I stand against everything my dad has written about Meghan Markle and I continue to stand up for those who are being targeted with online hate.”
When asked about the article, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that “for everyone in public life, language is important”. He added: “I absolutely do not believe Britain is a racist country.”
Clarkson’s article follows the release of Netflix’s six-part documentary series Harry & Meghan. It looked back on the couple’s acrimonious split from the British royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. They cited the lack of support from the palace and the racist treatment of the Duchess, who is biracial, in the press.
Markle, an American actress who starred in legal drama Suits, married the British prince in 2018.
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Meghan Markle starred in the legal drama Suits before marrying Prince Harry and becoming the Duchess of Sussex in 2018. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage via Getty Images)
After the outcry, Clarkson said he was “appalled to have caused so much damage.” At the time, he said the publicly shaming image was “an awkward reference” to a scene in Game of Thrones.
“I am appalled to have caused so much damage and will be more careful going forward,” he tweeted.
Clarkson made his name as a combative presenter on the BBC car show Top Gear.
The couple’s response to Clarkson’s claims came nearly a week after the release of Harry’s memoir, Spare. While discussing the book with Tom Bradby for an ITV interview, the 38-year-old described how comments like Clarkson’s can have dangerous repercussions.
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Tom Bradby and Prince Harry chatted ahead of the release of Spare. (ITV)
“When we’re talking about accountability, you know, just recently, I know you know, um, you know, Jeremy Clarkson’s article,” Harry said. “What he said was not only horrible and hurtful and cruel to my wife, but encourages other people in the UK and around the world, especially men, to go and think that treating women this way is acceptable. “
“You know, to use my stepmother’s words recently, there’s a global pandemic of violence – violence against women,” Harry shared. The father-of-two referenced Camilla, the Queen Consort’s recent speech at a reception at Buckingham Palace to raise awareness of violence against women.
Harry & Meghan also detailed how the couple faced hate and threats on social media. Markle, 41, described how an alarming tweet read: “Meghan just has to die. Someone has to kill her. Maybe it should be me.”
“I’m a mom,” she said through tears. “It’s my real life.
“You know? And that’s the bit where you see it, and you’re like, ‘You’re making people want to kill me. It’s not just a tabloid. It’s not just a story. You’re scaring me.'”
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Meghan cried as she sat next to Prince Harry in a scene from her Netflix docuseries. (netflix)
“And like that night, pacing up and down in the middle of the night looking down my hallway like, ‘Are we sure? Are the doors locked? Is security on?’ That is real! ‘Are my babies safe?'” she shared. “And what did you create it for? Because you’re bored, or because it sells your newspapers, or because it makes you feel better about your own life? It’s real what you’re doing.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in Montecito, California with their two children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.