UK's Sun apologizes for Jeremy Clarkson's column on Meghan Markle

Regulators had received more than 17,500 complaints since it was published in 2014

Britain's Sun newspaper on Friday apologized for publishing a column by British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson about Prince Harry's wife Meghan, days after it became the UK press standards regulator's most complained about article.

"We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry," the newspaper said in a statement, adding that the article had been removed from its website and archives.

In the column published last week, Clarkson, who gained worldwide fame as presenter of the motoring show Top Gear, wrote of Meghan: "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."

Britain's Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) regulator said on Tuesday that it had received more than 17,500 complaints, the most about any article since it was established in 2014.

More than 60 lawmakers signed a letter written by Caroline Nokes, chair of parliament's Women and Equalities Select Committee, to the editor of the Sun warning such articles contribute to a climate of hatred and violence against women.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday, Clarkson said he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt" and would be "more careful in future".

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.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 19, 2022

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