Meghan Markle, Prince Harry respond to Jeremy Clarkson's public apology

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reacted to 'Top Gear' host Jeremy Clarkson's public apology for the offensive article he wrote about Markle in December 2022. Clarkson issued an apology via a statement on Instagram and expressed remorse for writing the controversial article that was published in the UK tabloid The Sun. In his statement, Clarkson stated he had reached out to both Harry and Meghan on Christmas Day.

However, a spokesperson of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has revealed that the former TV host had only reached out to Harry. In a statement shared with the media, the spokesperson 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."

"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," it 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."

Clarkson's apology was shared on social media on Monday where he apologised for writing an article of hate about Meghan Markle.

"One of the strange things I've noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise 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."

"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," he wrote.

"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," he continued. "And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded."

The former 'Top Gear' host claimed he felt 'sick' to see th horrible story on print and compared it to a scene in 'Game Of Thrones.' "So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan's head." (In the original article, Clarkson wrote, "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.")

"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," Clarkson's Instagram statement added. "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."

"So can I move on now? Not sure. It's hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time… But I promise you this, I will try," he concluded.

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The original article was published on December 16 and sparked massive backlash. According to BBC, more than 6000 complaints were made to press regulator IPSO about the piece. The article was deleted post the backlash.