UK Tabloid Apologizes For Jeremy Clarkson's Column on Meghan Markle

Jeremy Clarkson’s stern remarks about the Duchess of Sussex have prompted a wide public uproar, with more than 20,000 complaints against the UK presenter’s article made to the Independent Press Standards Organization.

A UK tabloid has extended an apology over British television host Jeremy Clarkson's column on Meghan Markle, keeping mum, however, on whether any action had been taken against the Top Gear presenter.

The media outlet recalled that Clarkson’s commentary, which was published last Saturday, “provoked a strong response and led to a large number of complaints to IPSO [the Independent Press Standards Organization].”

“Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realize that with free expression comes responsibility. We […] regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry. The article has been removed from our website and archives,” the outlet pointed out.

The newspaper also referred to Clarkson’s recent tweet, in which he said he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt" and "would be more careful in future.”

This was preceded by the 62-year-old writing in the 16 December article that he “feels rather sorry” for Prince Harry, whom he called a “ginger glove puppet,” adding that his feelings about Meghan Markle were “a different story.”

“I hate her... I hate her on a cellular level,” wrote Clarkson in the column, since removed.

In a reference ostensibly to a scene in popular drama “Game of Thrones”, he further wrote that he was “unable to sleep” because he was “grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day 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.”

According to Clarkson, “everyone who’s my age thinks the same way.”

The piece was published a day after the US streaming giant Netflix released the final three episodes of its two-part “Harry & Meghan”' documentary, where Prince Harry, in particular, referred to what he described as a “terrifying” interaction over his and Markle’s decision to step back as senior royals in 2020.

In a separate episode of the documentary, the Duke of Sussex is seen claiming that there is “a huge level of unconscious bias” in the royal family, who are ostensibly “part of the problem” regarding racism in Britain.