The Sun has apologised after publishing Jeremy Clarkson's infamous column about Meghan Markle, explaining that it is 'sincerely sorry'.
The piece, in which the former Top Gear host admitted he was 'dreaming of the day' the Duchess of Sussex 'is made to parade naked' while crowds 'throw lumps of excrement at her' received widespread backlash, with various high-profile figures - including Clarkson's own daughter - sharing their qualms.
In response, the national newspaper has deeply apologised, citing that they regret the article.
Read more: ITV faces calls to sack Jeremy Clarkson after 'deplorable' Meghan Markle remarks
The PA News Agency reports that in a statement, the newspaper said: “Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realise that with free expression comes responsibility. We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.”
The apology comes after the piece became the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s (Ipso) most complained-about article in history. Ipso said the piece, which was removed from The Sun’s website on Monday at Clarkson’s request, had received more than 17,500 complaints as of 9am on Tuesday – rising to 20,800 by 5pm.
The figure also surpasses the total number of complaints received in 2021 on the whole, which sat at 14,355.
Clarkson's column came shortly after the final instalment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new Netflix docuseries. In it, he wrote: "I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level."
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."
After receiving massive criticism for his words, Jeremy also issued an apology of his own - taking to his official Twitter channel to reflect his regrets. On Monday, he wrote: "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."
Clarkson's daughter also put out a tweet to say she does not share his views.
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