With a juicy guest commentary about Duchess Meghan, the British moderator Clarkson causes a storm of indignation. As he apologizes, Prince Harry and his wife follow up on Netflix: It's about brave leaders.
With statements about Duchess Meghan in a guest article for the tabloid "The Sun", the prominent British moderator Jeremy Clarkson has triggered a storm of indignation. The media regulator Independent Press Standards Organization had received more than 6,000 complaints against the 62-year-old by midday. That is almost half as many as in 2021 as a whole. His daughter Emily, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and London Mayor Sadiq Khan also criticized the statements.
Clarkson wrote about Prince Harry's wife in a column for the tabloid "Sun": "I hate her." He also said he dreams "of the day when she'll be forced to march naked through the streets of every city in Britain while the crowd shouts 'Shame!' shouts and throws excrement at them". Meghan "obviously used some lively bedroom promises" to turn daredevil Harry into a bore. "Everyone in my generation hates them," Clarkson pointed out.
In response to the criticism, the moderator tweeted that he was "appalled to have caused so much pain". He "awkwardly" referred to a scene from the TV series "Game of Thrones", "and that went down badly with a lot of people". He will be more careful in the future. In their six-part Netflix documentary, Meghan and Harry also settle accounts with the British tabloid. According to commentators, several media had run a partly racist campaign against the ex-actress.
Die-hard fans of Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, don't have to wait long for supplies: the couple has already completed another project with the streaming service. Netflix released a first trailer for the documentary series "Live to Lead", which will premiere on December 31st. "Exceptional leaders reflect on their legacy and share messages of courage, compassion, humility, hope and generosity," the trailer caption reads. "Inspired by the legendary legacy of Nelson Mandela, 'Live to Lead' highlights the core values, daily disciplines and guiding principles that leaders use to motivate others and create meaningful change."
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), Greta Thunberg and Jacinda Ardern, among others, have their say in the series. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are executive producers on the Nelson Mandela Foundation project, and Geoff Blackwell is credited as creator and director. The trailer may also indicate that the Sussexes will also be in the picture for the series.
"This was inspired by Nelson Mandela who once said, 'What matters in life isn't the mere fact that we've lived,'" Harry says to the camera in the clip, before his wife adds, "It is which difference we made in the lives of others. That determines the meaning of the life we lead." It's about people who made brave decisions, Harry continues at the end of the trailer. And Meghan adds: "To fight for change and to be a leader", before Harry concludes: "And to inspire the rest of us."
