Clarkson apologizes for Meghan column

LONDON

Former “Top Gear” presenter Jeremy Clarkson on Jan. 16 apologized for a much-criticized column he wrote in The Sun tabloid saying he hated Prince Harry’s wife Meghan.

Clarkson, 62, wrote last month that he dreamed of the day when Meghan “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.”

The piece triggered a wave of protest and became the U.K. Independent Press Standards Organization’s most complained-about article.

Harry himself said in a television interview broadcast on January 8 that it was “horrific and... hurtful and cruel towards my wife.”

He also said it encouraged misogyny around the world.

Clarkson wrote on Instagram: “I really am sorry... This is me putting my hands up. It’s a mea culpa with bells on.”

In the column commenting on Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary series, Clarkson said of Meghan: “I hate her on a cellular level.”

Clarkson gained global fame by presenting the popular BBC motoring show “Top Gear” but was dropped as host in 2015 for assaulting a male producer. He now makes a similar show for Amazon, as well as a documentary series about farming.