Jeremy Clarkson has issued a statement as thousands of people complained to the news regulator about his Meghan Markle article. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) confirmed it had received more than 6,000 complaints about the story, which was published by The Sun on Friday (December 16).
A spokesman for the media watchdog said the complaints were being assessed in accordance with its standard procedure, and that the number was subject to change. The spokesman added that Ipso had received a total of 14,355 complaints in 2021.
Presenter Jeremy Clarkson ranted about his 'hate' for the former Duchess of Sussex, comparing his level of detest for her to serial killer Rose West. He wrote: "Meghan, though, is a different story. I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level."
Read more: Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter addresses his Meghan Markle "I hate her" rant
He 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.
"But what makes me despair is that younger people, especially girls, think she’s pretty cool. They think she was a prisoner of Buckingham Palace, forced to talk about nothing but embroidery and kittens. That makes me even angrier. Can’t they see everything that’s happening is so very obviously pre-planned."
Jeremy has since addressed the backlash on Twitter. Today (Monday December 19), he said: “Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene in Game Of Thrones and this has gone down badly with a great many people. I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future.”
The former Top Gear presenter has faced criticism over the article from Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and even his own daughter, Emily Clarkson. Sturgeon said she pities Jeremy, describing his words as 'deeply misogynist' and 'downright awful and horrible.'
Meanwhile his daughter took to Instagram to clarify that she stood against what her dad said in the article. Posting to her Instagram story on Sunday (December 18) , she wrote: "My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media.
"I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."
It comes as the final part of Prince Harry and Meghan's documentary aired on Netflix last week. Their six-part series, titled Harry & Meghan, explores their decision to step away as senior working members of the Royal family.
Some of the more explosive claims by the pair included Harry talking of the 'terrifying' moment his brother 'screamed and shouted' at him, and when the duchess described feeling suicidal after her treatment by the British media.
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