Yahoo Movies Prince Harry And Meghan Refuse Apology For ‘Game Of Thrones’ Jab By Jeremy Clarkson
TV host Jeremy Clarkson opened a can of royal whoop-ass upon himself for his comments about Meghan Markle in a recent column for the UK’s The Sun tabloid. On Saturday, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan dismissed an apology by the newspaper for running the column, calling it a “PR stunt” and saying they had not been contacted directly.
“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 spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said.
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“A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”
In the column, Clarkson wrote of Duchess Meghan: “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 every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her.”
In HBO’s fictional Game of Thrones, a similar punishment was enacted upon Queen Cersei.
Outrage flowed from readers of the shaming column. Britain’s Independent Press Standards Organization regulator said that it had received more than 17,500 complaints, the most about any article since it was established in 2014.
The Sun, in its apology, said: “We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.” The offending column has been removed from its website and archives.
More than 60 lawmakers signed a letter written by Caroline Nokes, chair of parliament’s Women and Equalities Select Committee, to the editor of The Sun warning such articles contribute to a climate of hatred and violence against women.
In a statement posted on Twitter last week, Clarkson said he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” and would be “more careful in future.”
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.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) December 19, 2022
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