The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) has launched an investigation into the column written by Jeremy Clarkson for The Sun newspaper about the Duchess of Sussex. The media regulator confirmed it is taking forward two groups of complaints.
The complaints, from The Fawcett Society and The Wilde Foundation, claim they were affected by breaches in accuracy, harassment and discrimination. The article, in which 62-year-old Clarkson said he hated Meghan and dreamed of her being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed, became Ipso’s most complained-about article after its publication, receiving more than 25,100 complaints.
The TV presenter later apologised for the piece, describing his language as “disgraceful” and said he was “profoundly sorry”. The Sun also apologised and said it regretted the publication of the column, which was removed online.
The Duke of Sussex branded the article about his wife “horrific, hurtful and cruel” during an interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby to discuss his autobiography Spare. He addedthat what Clarkson had written would encourage people around the world to believe it is an acceptable way to treat women.
The Fawcett Society is a charity that campaigns for gender equality and women’s rights, while the Wilde Foundation is a platform created to “promote, educate, empower and heal women and girls, victims and survivors of all kinds of abuse”, its website said. Ipso confirmed the conclusion of the investigation will be made public.