Britain's press regulator has launched an investigation into a newspaper column by TV personality Jeremy Clarkson in which he hoped Meghan Markle would one day be forced to parade naked through the streets.

The opinion piece, published in December in the Sun and since withdrawn, drew widespread condemnation after Clarkson wrote that he hated the Duchess of Sussex on a "cellular level".

Clarkson and the Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, have apologised over the article but Britain's Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) said it was launching an investigation based on complaints from two women's charities — the Fawcett Society and the Wilde Foundation.

The groups say they were "affected by breaches of Clause 1 (Accuracy), Clause 3 (Harassment) and Clause 12 (Discrimination) in the article."

Clarkson's column has become the most complained-about article since IPSO was established, having received more than 25,100 complaints.

IPSO can require publishers to publish corrections if they are found to be falling short of standards and fine them up to 1 million pounds ($1.7 million) in serious and systemic cases.

Prince Harry said Clarkson's comments were not just horrific and hurtful, but that they would encourage thinking it was acceptable to "treat women that way".