LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Jeremy Clarkson attends the ITV AutumnEntertainment Launch at White City House on August 30, 2022 in London,England. (Photo by Nick England/Getty Images); Meghan, Duchess of Sussex isseen during The State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey onSeptember 19, 2022 in London, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor wasborn in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married PrincePhilip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealthon 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. QueenElizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and wassucceeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Chris Jackson/GettyImages)
Nick England/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty
An article written by media personality Jeremy Clarkson about Meghan Markleand branded “deeply misogynist” has been pulled from both the website andarchives of The Sun.
On Friday, one week after the Top Gear host wrote that he hated the Duchessof Sussex “on a cellular level,” the outlet said it was “sincerely sorry.”
“It provoked a strong response and led to a large number of complaints toIPSO, the independent press regulator,” The Sun noted in a new statementreleased Friday.
The article was taken down from The Sun ‘s website on Monday with an initialmessage that read: “In light of Jeremy Clarkson’s tweet he has asked us totake last week’s column down.”
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In his article, Clarkson referenced a famous scene from Game of Thrones ,writing: “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth anddreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets ofevery town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps ofexcrement at her.”
In a tweet published following the article’s release, Clarkson called it “aclumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones ,” acknowledging that it “hasgone down badly with a great many people.”
“I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful infuture,” Clarkson added.
In its own statement on Friday, The Sun said: “Columnists’ opinions aretheir own, but as a publisher, we realize that with free expression comesresponsibility. We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and weare sincerely sorry.”
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Clarkson’s article came amid the release of Meghan and Prince Harry’s Netflixdocuseries, in which the couple opened up about the social media threatsthey’ve received in recent years. In one poignant moment, Meghan spoke abouthaving seen a tweet that said: “Meghan just needs to die. Someone needs tokill her. Maybe it should be me.”
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“And I was just like, ‘Okay.’ That’s, like, what’s actually out in the worldbecause of people creating hate,” Meghan said in the docuseries.
Clarkson’s article sparked near-immediate backlash from Brits, with more than6,000 complaints being made to press regulator IPSO about the piece, accordingto the BBC.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, who was also named in the articleas someone that Clarkson “hates,” called the piece “deeply misogynist.”
“I think what he said about Meghan Markle was deeply misogynist and justdownright awful and horrible,” she said, according to The Times. “Myoverwhelming emotion about guys like Jeremy Clarkson is pity. I mean, what isit that makes somebody so distorted by hate that they end up writing thesethings? I think that possibly gives an insight into Jeremy Clarkson and thekind of person he is So maybe he just needs to take a step back from thingsand just think about life a bit more.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan took to Twitter to offer his own condemnation ofClarksonwriting:”As Jeremy Clarkson should well know – words have consequences. The words inhis piece are no joke – they’re dangerous and inexcusable. We are in anepidemic of violence against women and girls and men with powerful voices mustdo better than this.”