The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dismissed an apology by The Sun for a column by Jeremy Clarkson as “nothing more than a PR stunt”.
A spokeswoman for the Duchess said the newspaper had not contacted her to apologise for the column, in which Clarkson wrote he was “dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”.
The column, published last weekend, became the most complained about on record, with the Independent Press Standards Organisation receiving more than 20,800 complaints by 5pm on Tuesday.
The Sun apologised yesterday, saying: “We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.
“The article has been removed from our website and archives.”
The spokeswoman for the Duchess said: “The fact that The Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologise shows their intent.
“This is nothing more than a PR stunt.
“While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we shouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny.
“A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all.
“Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
Meghan and Harry’s documentary
The column, in which Clarkson said he “hated” Meghan, came after the couple’s highly anticipated Netflix documentary series.
The Sussexes opened up about their experiences in the “institution” and the difficulties they faced due to negative media coverage.
Clarkson then used his column to describe his frustration at the Duchess.
More than 60 MPs wrote to the editor of the newspaper to condemn the piece “in the strongest terms”.
The letter put forward by Conservative MP Caroline Nokes demanded the publication take action against Clarkson.
It said the former Top Gear presenter’s “hateful” article had contributed to an “unacceptable climate of hatred and violence”.
A senior ITV executive said his comments were “awful” but Clarkson will continue as host of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? “at the moment“.