The Sun has apologized for a column written by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson in which he wrote that he “hated” Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on a “cellular level” and suggested making her “parade naked” across Britain while “people pelted her with lumps of feces.”
“The opinions of columnists are theirs, but as publisher we understand that freedom of expression comes with responsibility,” the newspaper wrote in a statement posted on its website Friday evening, local time. We at The Sun regret publishing this article and sincerely regret it.
The statement added that Clarkson’s article had been removed from his website and archives.
The Sun is among a number of British newspapers that Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, have long feuded with, with Harry suing the paper in 2019 over the alleged phone hack.
Clarkson is a writer and broadcaster who, in addition to writing a weekly column for The Sun, also stars in the Amazon Prime Video show “Clarkson’s Farm” and hosts the UK version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” on ITV.
In 2015, Clarkson was fired from the popular BBC show Top Gear after being accused of hitting producer, Oisin Tymon. Timon later sued Clarkson for racial discrimination and injury. The case was settled out of court, with Clarkson apologizing and paying for the out of court settlement.
In his latest Sun column, which was posted online Dec. 16, Clarkson wrote of Markle: “I hate her. Not like I hate her.” [Scottish National Party leader] Nicola Sturgeon OR [British serial killer] Rose West. I hate it on a cellular level.”
“At night, I can’t sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when you’ll be made to walk naked through the streets of every city in Britain while the crowd chants ‘Shame! ‘” Throw lumps of excrement at her.
The script is a reference to the infamous “Game of Thrones” season 5 scene where Cersei (played by Lena Headey) walks naked through King’s Landing while being followed by a nun repeating the word “shame” and followed by people throwing food and things at her.
Clarkson’s column drew thousands of complaints, including to the British newspaper regulator IPSO. Among those who openly criticized the column was the anchor’s daughter, Emily, who is an author and presenter, who posted on social media: “My views have been and continue to be clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying, and the media’s treatment of women. I want to make it very clear that I stand against all What my father wrote about Meghan Markle and I still stand in support of those targeted with hate online.”
Clarkson followed up with a statement on Twitter three days later, promising to be “more careful in the future” but stopping short of a full apology. “Oh dear. Clarkson tweeted.” In a column I wrote about Meghan, I clumsily made a reference to a scene in Game of Thrones, and it did poorly with a good number of people. I am terrified because I have caused so much harm and I will be more careful in the future.”
Despite the controversy, both Amazon Prime Video and ITV appeared to be behind Clarkson. The broadcast channel, which renewed “Clarkson’s Farm” for a third season, declined to comment on the matter while ITV chief Kevin Legow on Tuesday called the comments “horrible” but said Clarkson would continue to host “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
Read the full Sun statement below:
One past Saturday, Jeremy Clarkson wrote a comment on an article about the Duchess of Sussex.
This sparked a strong response and led to a large number of complaints to IPSO, the independent press regulator.
In a tweet earlier this week, Jeremy said he made a “clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones,” which “went badly with so many people” and was “terrified it did so much hurt.”
He also said he would be more careful in the future.
Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher we understand that with freedom of speech comes responsibility.
We at The Sun regret publishing this article and sincerely apologize.
The article has been removed from our website and archive.
The Sun has a proud history of campaigning, from Help for Heroes to Jabs Army and Who Cares Wins, and over 50 years working in partnership with charities, our campaigns have helped change Britain for the better.
Working with our readers, The Sun has helped enact new domestic violence legislation, provided beds in shelters, closed harmful loopholes in the law, and empowered abuse survivors to come forward and seek help.
We will continue to campaign for good on behalf of our readers in 2023.”
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