Meghan Markle should 'get a grip' and 'toughen up' after quitting royal life, says Jeremy Clarkson

Weeks after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to step down as senior members of the royal family and split their time between the UK and Canada, British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson has advised the Duchess of Sussex to keep her chin up and "toughen up" as the media continues to grasp at the tiniest of opportunity to criticize her and her family.

Speaking to GQ after winning the GQ Car Awards Lifetime Achievement, Clarkson said that while it was okay to fall down and feel defeated, the true English spirit was in getting up and getting "a grip" of one's life. 

"Everybody cries. Everybody cried when Princess Diana was buried," he said. "But I mean, as a general rule, you’ve got to get a grip. I think the expression 'get a grip' needs to come back into the lexicon as soon as possible. Everybody needs to get a grip. Meghan Markle... just get a grip." 

The broadcaster has previously defended the couple for the decision to leave the monarchy in the wake of the increased scrutiny that they have had to face from before the time Harry married a bi-racial American woman, who also happened to be a divorcee. He said people were "allowed to resign from jobs they didn’t like," and hence, Harry and Meghan should be extended the same allowance.

He also insisted that Meghan should not be blamed for Harry's decision to quit the royal family as she was accustomed to a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle but was never prepared for what she might have to face when she entered British royalty.

Clarkson's comments came days after a statistics by Nanos Research for CTV revealed that 77 percent of the Canadians were unhappy at the thought of a huge chunk of their taxes going towards Harry and Meghan's security bill, especially after they no longer represented the British crown.