A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle blasted The Sun’s apology for its recent publication of a column in which Jeremy Clarkson made hateful comments about Meghan ― dismissing the apology as “nothing more than a PR stunt.”
“The fact that the Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows their intent,” the representative for the Susssexes said, in a statement shared with HuffPost on Saturday.
“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,” the spokesperson added. “A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
Last week, the former “Top Gear” host wrote in a column that he hates Meghan “on a cellular level,” and described a lurid and debasing scenario he said he fantasizes about.
“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 Britain while the crowds chant ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her,” Clarkson wrote.
After major backlash to the column, the “Clarkson’s Farm” personality offered a non-apology, writing on Twitter that he’d “rather put my foot in it” with “a clumsy reference to a scene in Game of Thrones.”
Clarkson said he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” and vowed to “be more careful in future,” but did not make an actual apology.
The Sun offered an apology, and the article was taken down. It became the most complained-about article in the history of the U.K.’s Independent Press Standards Organization.
“Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher we realise that with free expression comes responsibility,” a statement from the newspaper read. “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 Sun did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.