British journalist Jeremy Clarkson, former Top Gear presenter, is facing a barrage of complaints over an article in which he said he "hated" Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry.

The article sparked a storm of controversy and condemnation among public figures and on social media.

Clarkson had written an article in the British newspaper “The Sun” on Friday, in which he confirmed that he hates Markle, and said that he dreams of the day when Megan is forced to walk naked in the streets of every city in Britain while the crowd chants at her, “What a shame” (what a shame) ..).

The 62-year-old controversial presenter justified his words by saying that he was inspired by a scene from the TV series "Game of Thrones".

"In an article I wrote about Meghan, I based myself on a goofy quote from a scene in 'Game of Thrones' and that had a negative impact on a large number of people," Clarkson wrote on Twitter.

"I am terrified because I have caused so much harm and I will be more careful in the future," he added.

The Sun has removed a controversial column on Meghan Markle written by former Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson after widespread backlash https://t.co/4gfRtYdffg

— The Independent (@Independent) December 19, 2022

The UK's Independent Press Standards Organization (Ipso) said it had received more than 12,000 complaints about the article as of 5pm GMT Monday, which is close to the total number it received in 2021.

The article, which was later pulled from The Sun website, was written in response to the couple's latest Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan.

British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson says he is "horrified for causing so much hurt" in a column he wrote about Meghan Markle.

The former Top Gear host has not been apologised for his remarks.

@Brett_McLeod #9News pic.twitter.com/9tRIFYuebJ

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) December 20, 2022

In the documentary, Harry and Meghan accuse the British tabloid press of racism and of trying to "destroy" Meghan, blaming her for the miscarriage she suffered due to the focused campaign against her.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned public figures that "the choice of vocabulary matters", while Clarkson's daughter, Emily, said in an online post that she was "against everything written" by her father.

'Top Gear' star Jeremy Clarkson is taking to social media to apologize for an article he wrote for about his "hatred" of Meghan Markle https://t.co/e34RGPhLFZ

— TV Insider (@TVInsider) December 20, 2022

Among the high-profile critics of Clarkson over his article are First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, author Philip Pullman and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Reject and clarify

It is noteworthy that 10 days ago, Prince Harry and his wife rejected criticism of a documentary series about their lives, in a statement issued by their spokesperson, in which he said that the couple never mentioned that privacy was a reason to abandon their royal duties.

The statement added that they "chose to share their story, on their own terms, yet the tabloids fabricated a completely false narrative that violated the rules of press coverage and public opinion."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry talked about the difficulties they faced in the Netflix documentary (Getty Images)

The statement said that Harry and Megan did not mention privacy as a reason when renouncing royal duties in January 2020 and expressed their desire to continue their public roles and duties.

In the documentary series, Prince Harry and his wife, Megan, reveal what they described as "the truth", from their meeting on Instagram and then their love story under the eyes of celebrity photo hunters (paparazzi), but most importantly, they respond through his episodes to British tabloids, accusing her of destroying them as she did with the princess. The late Diana.

Years after their resounding withdrawal from the British royal family, the series “Harry & Megan” brought back to the fore the couple’s crisis with the family, some of whose members accused them of racism and of not embracing the American actress.