Jeremy Clarkson has responded to backlash against his comments about Meghan Markle

Over the weekend, Jeremy Clarkson's comments about Meghan Markle went viral as he launched a scathing attack on the Duchess of Sussex following the widely publicised release of the Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan. 

During the series - which has broken viewing records for the streaming service - Meghan spoke about dealing with relentless negativity from the media and the impact that it had on her mental health, admitting that she was 'scared' for her life after receiving death threats on social media as a result of tabloid coverage. 

The former Top Gear presenter wrote a column for The Sun in which he pens that he 'hates' Meghan on a 'cellular level', and that he fantasises about her 'parading naked through the streets' as people 'throw lumps of excrement at her'. 

He wrote: "I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level.

"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."

The column has received 6,000 complaints, as reported by the BBC, with the independent press standards organisation Ipso telling the site that the complaints are being assessed. 

As well as celebrities like Carol Vorderman publicly criticising him for his comments, his daughter Emily - who regularly speaks out about media bullying, particularly for women in the public eye - also condemned him, telling her Instagram followers: "My views are and have always been clear when it comes to misogyny, bullying and the treatment of women by the media.

"I want to make it very clear that I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle and I remain standing in support of those that are targeted with online hatred."

Just days earlier, Emily criticised The Daily Mail's coverage of Meghan, claiming they were 'hellbent on DESTROYING this woman'.

Jeremy Clarkson has since responded to the backlash, saying he is 'horrified to have caused so much hurt'.

Posting on Twitter, he wrote: "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."