Jeremy Clarkson writes apology letter to Meghan Markle after disturbing column

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By James Kay

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Jeremy Clarkson has written an apology to Meghan Markle following a column he wrote which launched a scathing attack on the actress.

The former Top Gear host, 62, had shocked fans with disturbing comments in his column for The Sun, such as wishing Markle be "paraded naked through the streets" while having "lumps of excrement" thrown at her.

The bizarre column went on: "I actually feel rather sorry for [Harry] because today he’s just a glove puppet with no more control over what he says or does than Basil Brush.

"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. 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!'"

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The column by Jeremy Clarkson has since been removed. Credit: Mark Thomas / Alamy

The 62-year-old had initially made a clumsy apology after receiving backlash, including from his own daughter, as he took to Twitter to say: "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 article was removed from The Sun's website at the author's request, and the publisher also apologized for what was written after it received over 6,000 complaints.

Clarkson has since taken to Instagram to apologize for his column and told his followers that he emailed Harry and Meghan on Christmas Day.

"One of the strange things I've noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologize for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it's never enough for the people who called for it in the first place," Clarkson began.

"So I'm going to try and buck the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. 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. It's a mea culpa with bells on."

Clarkson continued: "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 went on to say he received harsh criticism even from those in his own family, and he apologized profusely for any harm that he caused by writing the poorly thought-out column.

Clarkson has disabled comments on the Instagram post as he seeks to put the entire thing behind him.

Featured image credit: Erik Pendzich / Alamy