Prince Harry Says There's a "Pandemic of Violence Against Women" in Wake of Jeremy Clarkson's Comments About Meghan

He borrowed the expression from Queen Camilla.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty)

In his interview with ITV's Tom Bradby, Prince Harry responded to the "cruel" comments made recently by British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson towards Meghan Markle.

In December, Clarkson wrote in The Sun, "At night, I'm unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when [Meghan] 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" (via Marie Claire U.K.).

Clarkson's words rightfully drew widespread backlash, and he responded on Twitter, "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."

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Many commentators felt this statement from Clarkson was at best an inadequate apology.

Speaking to Bradby, Harry condemned Clarkson in no uncertain terms.

"Not only did—what he said was horrific and is hurtful and cruel towards my wife, but it also encourages other people around the U.K. and around the world, men particularly, to go and think that it’s acceptable to treat women that way," the Duke of Sussex said (via the Daily Star).

"Um, and you know, to use my stepmother’s words recently as well, there is a global pandemic of violent—violence against women."

Although Prince Harry criticized Queen Camilla in his 60 Minutes interview, he borrowed the expression about violence against women from her, indicating he admires her work in that area.

The Queen Consort has lent her voice to the fight against domestic violence for years now, including through her patronage for SafeLives, an organization working to end domestic abuse.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.