Jeremy Clarkson: press regulator is investigating TV star’s Sun column about Meghan Markle - what did he say?

The UK’s leading press regulator has launched an investigation into Jeremy Clarkson’s controversial Sun column about Meghan Markle.

The former Top Gear presenter said that he hated the Duchess of Sussex “not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West,” but “on a cellular level”. Clarkson has since apologised and there have been reports that Amazon Prime will not renew either The Grand Tour or Clarkson’s Farm.

The piece, in which he said he wanted to “throw lumps of excrement” at Meghan, was the most complained about article in the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s history. He also wrote that he “hated” Meghan and had dreamed of her being paraded through British towns and publicly shamed.The Sun later removed it.

Today, 9 February, IPSO said it was launching an investigation into the column based on complaints by the Fawcett Society and the Wilde Foundation. They were affected by breaches of Clause 1 (Accuracy), Clause 3 (Harassment) and Clause 12 (Discrimination) in the article.

What did Jeremy Clarkson say?

In an op-ed for The Sun which was published on Friday 16 December, Clarkson wrote that he hated Markle “on a cellular level” and wanted people to “throw lumps of excrement” at her.

In the column he said: “I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.” Adding: “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 thrown lumps of excrement at her.” He then tried to justify his comments claiming that “everyone” his age “thinks the same way.”

What was the reaction to Clarkson’s comments?

There was wide condemnation of Clarkson’s comments on social media from across society, including politicians, comedians, celebrities and members of the public.

The Sun newspaper also issued an apology saying that it is “sincerely sorry” for the publication. A statement from the newspaper said: “In a tweet earlier this week, Jeremy said he had made a ‘clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones’, which had ‘gone down badly with a great many people’ and he was ‘horrified to have caused so much hurt’. He also said he will be more careful in future.

“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.”

Clarkson’s daughter, the podcast host Emily Clarkson, spoke out against his column on social media. Posting on her Instagram Stories on Sunday 18 December, she 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.”

What did Harry and Meghan say?

The couple released a statement, which said: “On December 25, 2022, Mr Clarkson wrote solely to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. The contents of his correspondence were marked private and confidential.”

It continued: “While a new public apology has been issued today by Mr Clarkson, what remains to be addressed is his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny,” the statement continued. “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.”

Prince Harry previously addressed Clarkson’s comments, describing them as “horrific”, “hurtful” and “cruel” during an interview with Tom Bradby for ITV to discuss the release of his memoir, Spare.