Jeremy Clarkson and Meghan Markle's feud from vile remarks to public apology
Jeremy Clarkson has made sickening comments about Meghan Markle and his strange obsession with her goes back many years.
Last year, the former Top Gear host launched into an abhorrent rant where wrote that he "hated" the former Suits actress "on a cellular level" and wanted to see her "paraded naked through the streets". Clarkson's misogynistic column was taken down after it received a fierce backlash, prompting him to send an apology email on Christmas day.
The Sussexes responded by stating that the email was only sent to Prince Harry and blasted him for not addressing his "long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny". Here is a look at where Clarkson's attacks on Meghan first began.
Jeremy was supportive of Meghan when she came into the royal family (Getty Images)
Jeremy has made a series of harsh remarks about Meghan over the years (GC Images)Clarkson defends Meghan
In a Sun column written in December 2018, Clarkson said Meghan had been "a breath of fresh air for the royals", but went on to say she had become "the wicked witch". Clarkson actually went on to defend Meghan, saying he "doesn't know her" and couldn't understand why she was being mocked.
"As a result, she will have less impact on your life than your postman's wife," he wrote. "It's ridiculous, cruel and heartless — and unless she proves me wrong by going around at night urinating on homeless people, it needs to stop." When Meghan and Harry announced their decision to stop being working royals, Clarkson said it may have come as a surprise to Meghan that life as a British royal and it wasn't all "fairy-tale castles" and "riding around on golden unicorns". But he said he felt it was "unfair" to blame her, writing: "I won't judge her for that. People are allowed to resign from jobs they don't like."
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The nasty obsession begins
It didn't last, as Clarkson went back on his own words. In February 2020, the presenter told Meghan to "get a grip" after she emotionally said no one had really "asked her if she was OK" during an ITV documentary. Speaking to GQ, Clarkson said Meghan should "toughen up".
Asked if he cries often he responded: "Everybody cries. Everybody cried when Princess Diana was buried. But I mean, as a general rule, you've got to get a grip. I think the expression 'get a grip' needs to come back into the lexicon as soon as possible. Everybody needs to get a grip. Meghan Markle... just get a grip."
In March 2021, Clarkson branded Meghan a "silly little cable TV actress" and accused her of "simpering victimhood". Weighing in on the debate surrounding the Oprah Winfrey interview and Piers Morgan's response, Clarkson wrote in the Sun : "Yes, she is much revered by the young and the stupid who believe that her brand of simpering victimhood will one day bring down the monarchy, but it won't.
"Trust me on this one. Markle’s toast, and within five years, I suspect she’ll be posing for photographs, on her own outside the Taj Mahal or sitting on the back of a playboy’s yacht in the Med, and poor old Piers will realise that he lost his job over absolutely nothing at all."
Clarkson's sickening remarks
In an extremely foul rant Clarkson wrote a column in December 2022 in which he claimed to hate Meghan "on a cellular level" and wanted her to be "paraded naked through the streets". The television presenter said that he "dreams of people throwing lumps of excrement at her".
This came in response to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. In his column for The Sun, Jeremy said how he felt "sorry" for Harry, that he is being "controlled" by his wife and called the royal a "glove puppet". "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," he shockingly wrote.
Clarkson's downfall
There were calls for him to be sacked and a cross-party group of more than 60 MPs demanded "action" against him for language that has "no place in our country". In a letter to the editor of The Sun, Chairwoman of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Caroline Nokes, said: "We are horrified at the recent article by Jeremy Clarkson in your publication."
Even Clarkson's own daughter turned on him, saying she "stands against everything" he said about Meghan. Emily Clarkson 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." The presenter initially addressed huge backlash to his column on Twitter as he told his followers: "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."
Prince Harry's horror
Prince Harry has publicly supported Meghan through the vile comments (Getty Images)During Prince Harry's ITV interview he revealed his "horror" at Clarkson's nasty remarks. "When we're talking about accountability, you know, just recently, which I know you know about, um you know, the Jeremy Clarkson article," Harry told presenter Tom Bradby "So not only did, what he 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."
He added: "You know, to use my stepmother's words recently as well, there is a global pandemic of violent – violence against women." A spokesperson for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a statement with PA on Christmas Eve. It read: "The fact that the Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologise shows their intent.
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"This is nothing more than a PR stunt. While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny. A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath."
Clarkson's full apology
In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Clarkson said he emailed the couple on Christmas Day to say his language in the column had been "disgraceful" and he was "profoundly sorry". He said: "I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up.
"Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded." He added: "We've all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we've completely messed up. You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.
"I knew what had happened straight away. I'd been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I'd forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan's head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism."
He continued: "I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me. The Sun quickly apologised, and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime. More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken.
"I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too. I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.
The Sussexes respond
Meghan and Harry issued a response to Clarkson's claim that he emailed both of them on Christmas Day. They pointed out that the TV presenter only addressed his apology to Harry, even though his most vile comments were made towards Meghan. A joint statement issued on behalf of the couple read: "On December 25, 2022, Mr. Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex.
"While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr. Clarkson, what remained to be addressed is his long standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny. Unless each of his other pieces were also written 'in a hurry', as he states, it is clear that this is not an isolated incident shared in haste, but rather a series of articles shared in hate."
Clarkson adds fuel to the fire
Clarkson then dropped a strong hint that his apology wasn't entirely genuine. He liked a cryptic tweet from a fan slamming him for "caving into the woke" and taking accountability for his accounts. The tweet liked by Clarkson's verified account read: "Oh @JeremyClarkson you caved into the woke by apologizing and Amazon are still going to cancel you anyway. Was it worth it? Never explain, never apologize. You've lost my respect."
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