Photo: Nick England/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: Jeremy Clarkson attends the ITV Autumn Entertainment Launch at White City House on August 30, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Nick England/Getty Images); Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is seen during The State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and ascended the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

A spokesperson forMeghan Markleis speaking out about a"deeply misogynist" articlethat media personality Jeremy Clarkson wrote about the Duchess of Sussex forThe Sun.

Published on Friday, December 16, the article was taken down the following Monday after receiving intense backlash to Clarkson’s message of hating the Duchess “on a cellular level,” for which the outlet said they were “sincerely sorry.”

In a statement provided to PEOPLE, a spokesperson forMeghan Markleblasts the outlet’s apology: “The fact that the Sun has not contacted The Duchess of Sussex to apologize shows their intent. This is nothing more than a PR stunt.”

Along with expressing his hatred for Markle, Clarkson referenced a famous scene fromGame of Thrones. “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,” he wrote.

Clarkson has since apologized for the graphic sentiment, acknowledging that it “has gone down badly with a great many people” onTwitter. “I’m horrified to have caused so much hurt and I shall be more careful in future,” he added.

The Sunissued their statement to the article on Friday: “Columnists' opinions are their own, but as a publisher, we realize that with free expression comes responsibility. We atThe Sunregret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry.”

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, took toTwitterto condemn the article. “As Jeremy Clarkson should well know - words have consequences. The words in his piece are no joke - they’re dangerous and inexcusable,” the mayor tweeted. “We are in an epidemic of violence against women and girls and men with powerful voices must do better than this.”

Brits immediately put the article under fire after it was published as well, with 6,000 complaints being made to press regulator IPSO about the piece, according to theBBC.

source: people.com