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Former 'Top Gear' host Clarkson apologises for Meghan column
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Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson gestures as he arrives at the Ticketpro Dome for the Clarkson, Hammond and May Live Show held in Johannesburg on June 10, 2015. (AFP/Stefan Heunis)
F
ormer Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson on Monday apologised for a much-criticised 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 UK Independent Press Standards Organisation'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.
Clarkson wrote in his apology that he sent his column to The Sun without reading it out to anyone -- as he usually does -- and only realised later that what he wrote was "horrible".
"I abhor violence against women," he added but conceded the column "seemed to be advocating for just that".
Known for his provocative columns often espousing right-wing political views, the presenter also claimed that he had been referring to a scene from the Game of Thrones series.
But he said he forgot to specify this.
The Sun in late December said it was "sincerely sorry" for the publication and had removed the column from its website and archive.
Harry and Meghan said on Christmas Eve that the tabloid had not been in touch with them directly, slamming the newspaper's statement on its website as "nothing more than a PR stunt".
Clarkson said Monday he emailed the couple on Christmas Day to apologise, telling them "the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry".
He vowed to try to be "vigilant" in future, saying he may switch to writing about becoming a grandfather.
