Jeremy Clarkson has closed his Diddly Squat farm shop one week after making some controversial comments about Meghan Markle. In a column for The Sun, the TV presenter said he dreamed about her being 'paraded naked through the streets' while people 'throw lumps of excrement at her'.
His comments were followed by a sea of complaints and outrage from the public. Independent press watchdog IPSO said it received 20,800 by Tuesday, December 20.
The former Top Gear presenter requested that The Sun remove the article from their website and admitted he made a mistake but is yet to apologise to the Duchess. He announced the farm shop's temporary closure on Instagram.
A picture was posted on the Diddly Squat Farm Shop official page with the caption: "Great day for a trip to Diddly. Last few days before we close until February 10th. Launch day of Season".
The usually outspoken personality has remained noticeably silent on his social media since admitting he had 'rather put his foot in it' with his Meghan Markle comments, the Mirror reports.
Breaking his silence on the backlash, Jeremy told his 7 million followers: "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." A host of TV stars such as Carol Vorderman, John Bishop and Kathy Burke were quick to condemn the newspaper column at the time.
Clarkson's own daughter Emily, a podcaster who campaigns against online abuse, also joined the growing numbers of stars speaking out about the vitriol.
"I stand against everything that my dad wrote about Meghan Markle," declared Emily. A spokeswoman for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry said the apology made by The Sun was 'nothing more than a PR stunt'.
The statement said: "A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath."
After receiving backlash for the column, The Sun said they were 'sincerely sorry' for publishing it. In a statement, the newspaper said: "Columnists’ opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realise that with free expression comes responsibility.
"We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry."
