With the final episodes of Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, having been recently released, a number of viewers have expressed their sympathy for her and husband Prince Harry—though her critics have dug their heels in.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have ruffled feathers with their six-part series, which documents everything from the start of their relationship to the events that led to them stepping down from their duties as senior working royals.
After the couple spoke in the series about the relentlessly negative press coverage they had received, British columnist Jeremy Clarkson wrote in his column for U.K. newspaper The Sun that he dreamed of seeing "lumps of excrement thrown" at Meghan.
In the column, which was published on Friday, Clarkson said that he felt "sorry" for Harry, branding him a "glove puppet" who has no control over his own actions.
"Meghan, though, is a different story. I hate her," Clarkson said. "Not like I hate [Scottish First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon or [serial killer] Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level."
Clarkson then partially referenced a famous scene from the hit series Game of Thrones as he shared the fate he dreamed that Meghan should meet.
"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," he wrote.
Clarkson, 62, wrote that "everyone who's my age thinks the same way," before adding: "But what makes me despair is that younger people, especially girls, think she's pretty cool. They think she was a prisoner of Buckingham Palace, forced to talk about nothing but embroidery and kittens.
"That makes me even angrier. Can't they see everything that's happening is so very obviously pre-planned."
Clarkson's comments have been met with a wave of backlash, with a number of public figures speaking out against him, including his daughter, Emily Clarkson, who wrote on Instagram on Sunday that she stood "against everything" her father wrote about Meghan.
Who Is Jeremy Clarkson?
Jeremy Clarkson is a British TV personality best known as the former host of long-running car-themed show Top Gear.
Born in the English county of Yorkshire, Clarkson started his career as a journalist for regional newspaper the Shropshire Star, where he wrote about vehicles and motoring news. In 1988, he made the move to TV, hosting the first iteration of Top Gear.
After becoming a household name in the U.K. through Top Gear, Clarkson left that version of the show in 1999, with the series was itself ending in 2001.
However, the series was revived by the BBC the following year, with Clarkson returning as the main host, alongside co-presenters Richard Hammond and Jason Dawes. Dawes was eventually replaced by James May.
During his tenure on the show, Clarkson sparked criticism on a number of occasions for his comments, including accusations of racial and cultural insensitivity.
In 2015, Clarkson was suspended from the show after it emerged that he had physically attacked a crewmember in a confrontation over food that had been offered to him. The BBC ultimately opted not to renew his contract.
Later that year, it was announced that Clarkson, along with his Top Gear co-hosts Hammond and May, would present a new show on Amazon Prime Video. The Grand Tour debuted in May 2016 and continues to air on the streaming service.
Since Clarkson and his team's departure from Top Gear, the show has continued with different hosts, which over the years has included former Friends star Matt LeBlanc.
Away from the screen, Clarkson also made headlines at an awards show in 2004, when he punched Piers Morgan—who is a frequent critic of the Duchess of Sussex.
Clarkson—whose TV hosting gigs also includes a recent revival of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?—has not responded to his latest round of backlash on social media, instead tweeting his disappointment at France's loss to Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final.
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Meghan Markle for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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