Jeremy Clarkson takes savage swipe at 'stupid unroyal' move by Meghan Markle
Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about the reality of flying on private jets and used the opportunity to have a dig at the Duchess of Sussex.
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Clarkson's Farm star Jeremy Clarkson has slammed Meghan Markle for her 2019 baby shower calling the concept "stupid" and "unroyal". The Duchess of Sussex flew to New York by private jet for a party with some of her celebrity friends prior to the birth of her first child Archie.
Jeremy seems unamused with the notion and included the savage swipe in his column in The Sunday Times as he was writing about using private jets. He discusssed his enthusiasm for the mode of travel in the past but acknowledged contemporary sensibilities had changed.
"Today, however, things are changing," he wrote discussing changing attitudes to the use of private jets. "The Duchess of Sussex was criticised for taking a private jet to attend her baby shower in New York. And not just because a baby shower is a stupid, unroyal thing to do," he commented.
Jeremy isn't the first person to criticise Meghan's lavish stateside baby shower which took place in February 2019. In March that year the Queen's former spokesman Dickie Arbiter suggested the event is “an American thing” and not something that is usually celebrated by the Royal Family.
Speaking to US Weekly he said: “Baby showers, it's very much an American thing.” He added: “We don't do it here in the UK.”
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It is believed the private jet Meghan used was put on by George and Amal Clooney. However, the former Buckingham Palace official suggested using the aircraft was not the best idea for a royal.
“It was a bit over the top in terms of expense and the way she got there. Meghan is American and she does things the American way,” he said.
A host of Meghan’s celebrity friends attended the event at exclusive hotel The Mark’s penthouse suite which costs a staggering £57,000 ($75,000) a night.
Tennis star Serena Williams, Meghan’s former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, stylist Jessica Mulroney and Amal Clooney were among guests at the bash.
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Royal author and journalist Omid Scobie also claimed that some Palace staff found the whole idea distinctly unbefitting for a Royal Family member. In the Channel 4 documentary A Very Royal Baby: From Cradle to Crown, he explained: "I remember speaking to a palace aide at the time who rolled their eyes.
"They were horrified that something so common was happening within the House of Windsor. We had never seen someone throw this very lavish affair to celebrate the impending arrival of a baby."
At the time a Palace aide also denied it had caused controversy in royal circles saying: “It’s not something that’s frowned upon, nor is it an Americanisation because baby showers are very common in the UK.”
Despite the furore Meghan was not the first Royal to have a baby shower. The Princess of Wales was the first Royal to hold such an event.
Princess Kate had a baby shower before the birth of her eldest child, Prince George, in 2013, the Daily Telegraph reported at the time. She was reported to have had the Queen’s blessing for the event held by her sister, Pippa Middleton.
Express.co.uk has contacted Meghan Markle for comment.
