The Sun’s apology for a deleted column from British media personality Jeremy Clarkson is nothing more than a “PR stunt”, a representative for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has said.
In a statement to the BBC following The Sun’s retraction and apology for the column, in which Clarkson expressed hatred of the Duchess of Sussex at a “cellular level”, a spokesman for the couple called the response from counterfeit point of sale.
“The fact that The Sun has not contacted the Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows its intent,” they told the magazine. “This is nothing more than a PR stunt.”
The statement went on to say that while some sort of response was needed for the “public”, a “change” in the way the British channel covers the couple would be a “true apology”.
“While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regret for its dangerous comments, we would not be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to exploit and capitalize on hatred, violence and misogyny,” the statement added. “A real apology would be a change in their coverage and ethical standards for everyone. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
The Sun issued an apology on Friday for running a column by British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson about Meghan Markle that has been condemned as “deeply misogynistic”.
The British tabloid published Clarkson’s article on Dec. 16, the day after the premiere of the second half of episodes of Markle and Prince Harry’s much-watched Netflix documentary series Harry and Meghan, which sees the couple revealing new behind-the-scenes information about their treatment. from both the UK press and the royal family, which eventually led to her separation from royal life.
The former Top Gear host wrote in his column that Prince Harry was being “controlled” by Markle and that he was “dreaming of the day when he parades her naked through the streets of every city in Britain while the crowds sing “Shame on you! ‘ and throw lumps of excrement at him.”
On Friday, the paper apologized for running the column and removed the article from its website and archives, noting in a post on its website that the column had “prompted a strong response and prompted a large number of complaints to IPSO, the independent press. regulator.”
The Hollywood Reporter reported that it had prompted 6,000 complaints three days after publication.
“The opinions of the columnists are their own, but as an editor we realize that freedom of expression comes from responsibility. At The Sun we regret the publication of this article and are sincerely sorry,” the statement read in part.
The column, which targets Markle in the way she and Prince Harry usually describe Harry and Meghan in the British tabloids, drew swift backlash, including from Clarkson’s daughter, podcast host Emily Clarkson, who said: “My views are and have always been clear on misogyny, bullying and the media’s treatment of women. I want to make it very clear that I am against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I continue to support those who are the target of hate online.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was also named in the column as someone Clarkson “hates” at a “cellular level”, called the piece “deeply misogynistic”. She told The Times: “I think what he said about Meghan Markle was deeply misogynistic and frankly horrible and horrible.”
In a letter signed by more than 60 MPs and addressed to The Sun’s editor Victoria Newton, Tory MP Caroline Nokes, chair of Parliament’s Women and Equality Committee, described the retraction of the column as ” welcome” and stated that an apology to Markle would be issued “immediately.”
“This kind of language has no place in our country and it is unacceptable that it was allowed to be published in a mainstream newspaper,” the letter says. “Mrs. Markle has faced multiple credible threats to her life requiring the intervention of the Metropolitan Police. Hateful articles such as the one written by Mr. Clarkson do not exist in a vacuum and contribute directly to this unacceptable climate of hatred and violence”.
On Monday, Clarkson addressed the response, but did not apologize. “Oh dear. I just put my foot in it. In a column I wrote about Meghan, I made a clumsy reference to a scene from Game of Thrones and that has gone down well with a lot of people. I’m horrified that I’ve caused so much wrong and I’ll be more careful in the future,” he wrote on Twitter about the reference to Cersei’s (Lena Headey) memorable moment in Game of Thrones.
Clarkson, who was sacked as presenter of the BBC motoring show in 2015 after punching a producer, is the star of Amazon Prime Video series The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, and also presents Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? by ITV ITV said there are no plans to take action following the column, while Amazon has yet to comment on the upcoming season.
25 December 13:00 Updated with statement from Sussex spokesman.