16 January 2023 , 14:30
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Jeremy Clarkson claims he emailed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to apologise over his column in The Sun newspaper in which he said he "hated" Meghan Markle.
He says he "really is sorry" for what he said in the controversial column - all the way "from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head".
In the lengthy statement shared with his 5.2million Instagram followers today, Clarkson reveals how he reached out to Meghan and Harry on Christmas Day - just days after his now-deleted column was published in print and online.
He goes on to claim his bosses at ITV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and the Grand Tour, were "incandescent" after his decision to share his disturbing thoughts with the public.
The statement comes as it is reported Amazon have parted ways with Clarkson and won’t be working with the controversial star beyond seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that have already been commissioned.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a statement shortly after the TV presenter wrote his column (Netflix)Clarkson's apology follows his first attempt to say sorry for the hate-filled rant last month, and both Meghan and Harry speaking out about the misogyny his column was littered with.
The former Top Gear presenter, 62, wrote in The Sun last month how he hates the former Suits actress "on a cellular level" and wants her to be "paraded naked through the streets".
Clarkson explained in his now-deleted newspaper column how he "dreams of people throwing lumps of excrement at her" in the insensitive spew of hatred towards Meghan – who he has never met.
In a lengthy statement on his verified Instagram account today, the TV star said he emailed the couple on Christmas Day to say his language in the column had been “disgraceful” and he was “profoundly sorry”.
Clarkson goes on to say his 'own daughter renounced me on Instagram' (PA)
Emily told her fans she 'stands against' her father's comments last month (Getty Images Europe)He said: “One of the strange things I’ve noticed in recent times is that whenever an MP or a well-known person is asked to apologise for something, no matter how heartfelt or profound that apology may be, it’s never enough for the people who called for it in the first place.
“So I’m going to try and buck the trend this morning with an apology for the things I said in a Sun column recently about Meghan Markle. I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. Its a mea culpa with bells on.
“Usually, I read what I’ve written to someone else before filing, but I was home alone on that fateful day, and in a hurry. So when I’d finished, I just pressed send. And then, when the column appeared the next day, the land mine exploded.”
“It was a slow rumble to start with and I ignored it. But then the rumble got louder. So I picked up a copy of The Sun to see what all the fuss was about.
“We’ve all been there, I guess. In that precise moment when we suddenly realise we’ve completely messed up. You are sweaty and cold at the same time. And your head pounds. And you feel sick. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Had I really said that? It was horrible.
Harry and Meghan issued a joint statement about the now-deleted column on Christmas Eve (Netflix)“I knew what had happened straight away. I’d been thinking of a scene in Games Of Thrones, but I’d forgotten to mention this. So it looked like I was actually calling for revolting violence to rain down on Meghan’s head. I was very angry with myself because in all those controversial days on Top Gear, when I was accused of all sorts of things, it was very rarely sexism.
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“We never did ‘women can’t park’ gags for instance. Or suggested that powerful cars were only for men. And I was thrilled when Jodie Kidd and Ellen MacArthur set fastest-ever laps in our reasonably-priced car. I’m just not sexist and I abhor violence against women.
“And yet I seemed to be advocating just that. “I was mortified and so was everyone else. My phone went mad. Very close friends were furious. Even my own daughter took to Instagram to denounce me.”
Clarkson's offspring Emily Clarkson slammed her dad's misogynistic rant about Meghan last month - making it clear she stands in support of 'those targeted with online hatred, following her father's disturbing rant about the Duchess of Sussex.
Amazon reportedly have no plans to work with Clarkson on future projects (Tom Wren / SWNS)He continued to write: "The Sun quickly apologised, and I tried to explain myself. But still, there were calls for me to be sacked and charged with a hate crime. More than 60 MPs demanded action to be taken.
"ITV, who make Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and Amazon, who make the Farm Show and Grand Tour, were incandescent."
"I therefore wrote to everyone who works with me saying how sorry I was and then on Christmas morning, I e-mailed Harry and Meghan in California to apologise to them too.
He goes on: "I said I was baffled by what they had been saying on TV but that the language I'd used in my column was disgraceful and that I was profoundly sorry.
"Over the last thirty years, I have written nearly five thousand newspaper and magazine columns, so it was inevitable that one day, I'd do a Harry Kane and sky one of the damn things. Which is what happened with the piece about Meghan."
Clarkson seemingly wants to 'move on' (Getty Images)Clarkson concludes saying: "So can I move on now? Not sure. It's hard to be interesting and vigilant at the same time. You never hear pearls of laughter coming from a health and safety seminar. But I promise you this, I will try.
"Who knows? Very soon now I shall be a grandfather so in the future, maybe I'll just write about that."
Clarkson has disabled comments on the post.
The presenter initially addressed huge backlash to his column - including MPs calling for ITV to sack the TV star - on Twitter on December 19 and told his followers: "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."
Clarkson's Instagram statement today comes as Variety claim sources tell them Clarkson won’t be appearing in any new shows on Prime Video beyond 2024.
They claim the streaming service won’t be working with the former Top Gear host beyond seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm that have already been commissioned.
Harry mentioned Clarkson by name during his ITV interview earlier this month (PA)The Mirror have approached Amazon for comment.
Prior to Clarkson's alleged email to Harry and Meghan on Christmas Day last month, a spokesperson for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a statement with PA on Christmas Eve.
It reads: "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 wouldn’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."
Harry called the presenter's comments 'cruel' (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Harry went on to discuss Clarkson's comments when he was interviewed by ITV journalist Tom Bradby earlier this month.
"When we're talking about accountability, you know, just recently, which I know you know about, um you know, the Jeremy Clarkson article," Harry began when discussing the hate-filled piece with Tom during their interview.
"So not only did, what he said was horrific and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the UK and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it's acceptable to treat women that way.
He then added: "You know, to use my stepmother’s words recently as well, there is a global pandemic of violent – violence against women."