British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson responds to criticism after saying he 'hates' Meghan Markle and dreams of her being forced to 'parade naked' through the streets

• Jeremy Clarkson responded to criticism of his comments about Meghan Markle in a column for The Sun.
• In the column, Clarkson said he hates Meghan and dreamed of her being publicly shamed in Britain.

British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson has responded to criticism over comments he made about Meghan Markle in an opinion column published by tabloid The Sun on Friday.

Clarkson said in a tweet on Monday that he is "horrified to have caused so much hurt" with the column, in which he criticized Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex — who was referred in the headline and article as a "glove puppet" — and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

"Meghan, though, is a different story. I hate her," Clarkson wrote in the article. "Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level," he added, referencing Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the English serial killer Rose West.

"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," Clarkson wrote of Meghan.

More than 6,000 complaints about Clarkson's column were made to Ipso, the independent press standards organisation, BBC News reported on Monday. Clarkson has also been criticized by public figures, including Sturgeon, who told BBC News that his comments were "deeply misogynist and just downright awful and horrible."

On Monday, Clarkson wrote on Twitter that his comments about Meghan were a "clumsy reference" to the TV series "Game of Thrones" (though Clarkson did not specify which scene, the character Cersei Lannister is forced to walk naked through the streets of King's Landing while crowds jeer at her).

"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 wrote.

Later on Monday, Clarkson's column was removed and replaced with his tweet and the headline: "In light of Jeremy Clarkson's tweet he has asked us to take last week's column down."

The Sun declined to comment when contacted by Insider, and representatives for Jeremy Clarkson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Clarkson's daughter, Emily Clarkson, wrote on her Instagram Stories on Sunday that she disagreed with her father's comments.

"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," Emily wrote in a statement viewed by Insider.

The British tabloids played 'a large part' in Harry and Meghan's decision to leave the UK

Meghan and Harry have had a tumultuous relationship with the British tabloids in recent years, and in 2016 Harry released a statement condemning sexist and racist tabloid coverage of Meghan. In 2021, the couple said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that racism in the tabloids played "a large part" in their decision to leave the UK in 2020.

Also during the interview with Winfrey, Harry implied that the royal family wouldn't defend Meghan against the tabloids because they were "scared" of "the tabloids turning on them."

"There's what's termed or referred to as the 'invisible contract' behind closed doors between the institution and the tabloids, the UK tabloids. To simplify it, it's a case of if you as a family member are willing to wine, dine, and give full access to these reporters, then you will get better press," Harry said.

Camilla, Queen Consort, went to a private lunch in London last week which was attended by Clarkson and Piers Morgan, who has also been openly critical of the Duchess of Sussex through the years, according to a report by the Mail Online. As of Monday, Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented in response to Clarkson's statement.

Representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.