Prince Harry has commented on Jeremy Clarkson’s “hurtful and cruel” newspaper column about wife Meghan Markle, during his interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby.
Harry sat down with the British broadcaster ahead of the release of his memoir Spare, which reportedly contains several startling claims about his relationship with the royals, drug use, and military service in Afghanistan.
Addressing the newspaper article, which prompted a landslide of complaints to press regulator Ipso and was eventually taken down, Harry told Bradby: “What [Clarkson] said was horrific, and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife.
“But it also encourages other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way,” the duke, 38, continued.
After the release of Harry and Meghan’s six-part Netflix docuseries in December last year, Clarkson, wrote that he loathes the Duchess of Sussex “on a cellular level” and wants people to “throw lumps of excrement” at her, in an op-ed for The Sun.
The newspaper article was widely condemned by several celebrities and public figures, including Carol Vorderman, John Bishop, and the broadcaster’s own daughter Emily Clarkson.
Clarkson tweeted he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” following the backlash, and said that he would “be more careful in future”.
Harry said: “To use my stepmother’s words recently as well, there’s a global pandemic of violence against women.”
His response to the op-ed was part of a larger discussion with Bradby about the British media, calling it the “epicentre of so many of the problems across the UK”.
He expressed his desire to “try and change the press” and said the royal family’s “silence” over harmful coverage of his family is “deafening”.
Harry continued: “And from what I have learnt and believe of the monarchy, if someone in this country, if someone, you know, especially in the US, no names mentioned, tweets or says certain things that are just categorically harmful and dangerous, you have the president and the vice president speak out against it.
“But, everything to do with my wife, after six years, they haven’t said a single thing. But they’re willing to defend themselves regularly.”
Excerpts from Harry’s “personal and moving” memoir were published after the ghostwritten book was accidentally put on sale in Spain, ahead of its global release date on 10 January.
Harry: The Interview is available to view on ITVx. Follow the latest updates here.
