Prince Harry and Meghan respond to Jeremy Clarkson's apology
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have issued a statement responding to Jeremy Clarkson's apology earlier today, following his scathing column about the Duchess of Sussex.
Clarkson penned a scathing column about Markle, saying he felt 'rather sorry' for Harry, as he was 'just a glove puppet with no more control over what he says or does than Basil Brush'.
"Meghan, though, is a different story," he wrote.
"I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level."
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Clarkson continued: "At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when 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."
Earlier today, the presenter apologised for what he said, saying in a lengthy Instagram post that he was 'really sorry'.
Meghan and Harry have now responded, with statement shared by a spokesperson confirming Clarkson had written to the couple on Christmas Day.
While the statement acknowledged his new public apology, but said what remained to be addressed was his 'long standing pattern of writing articles that spread head rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny'.
"Unless each of his other pieces were also written 'in a hurry', as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate," the statement said.
Clarkson's column was quickly removed from The Sun's website, while the newspaper said it was 'sincerely sorry' for the publication of the comments.
Clarkson has also since, saying on Instagram: "One of the strange things I’ve noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it’s never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.
"So I’m going to try and buck the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. I really am sorry.
"All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. It's a mea culpa with bells on."
He went on to say that while he normally reads what he sends beforehand - as any writer should - that day he was in a hurry and so he just hit the 'send' button.
Clarkson said at first he ignored the 'slow rumble', but soon realise he had 'completely messed up', continuing: "I knew what had happened straight away. I'd been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I'd forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan's head.
"I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.
"We never did 'women can't park' gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car.
"I'm just not sexist and I abhor violence against women. And yet I seemed to be advocating just that.
"I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me."
Clarkson went on to describe the continued backlash as people called for him to be sacked.
"I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too," he continued.
"I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I’d used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.
"Over the last thirty years, I have written very nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I'd do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan."
Jess Hardiman