Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have rejected an apology from editors at The Sun newspaper over a controversial column written by Jeremy Clarkson.

Earlier this month, following the release of the royals’ Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the British TV presenter wrote in The Sun that he hated Meghan on “a cellular level” and dreamed 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”.

His column swiftly became Britain’s Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)’s most complained about article on record and both Clarkson and editors at The Sun subsequently apologised for the piece, which was removed from the publication’s website.

Over the weekend, a spokesperson for the couple dismissed the apology, calling it “nothing more than a PR stunt” as they were not contacted personally by the newspaper’s editors.

“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,” the statement reads. “A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”

On 19 December, Clarkson apologised on Twitter for making a “clumsy reference” to the Game of Thrones scene in which Lena Headey’s character Cersei walks naked through the street as people throw excrement on her.

“Oh dear. I’ve rather put my foot in it,” he began. “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.”

Editors at The Sun said in a statement that they “regret” the article and were “sincerely sorry” for its publication.

– Cover Media