A latest survey has revealed that nearly two-thirds of Britons dislike and are unsympathetic towards Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The polling that was undertaken Tuesday by global opinion and data firm YouGov stated that 43 per cent of 2,627 British adults surveyed said they felt no sympathy for Prince Harry and Markle, with an additional 22 per cent responding they felt “not very much”.
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Meanwhile, a combined 22 per cent responded that they felt a “fair amount” or “lots” of sympathy for the royal couple. As much as 13 per cent adults surveyed answered in neutral.
According to a report by Newsweek, the polling comes close on the heels of Markle’s solo podcast Archetypes, her interview with The Cut and the couple’s announcement of a visit to the UK and Germany in the first week of September.
On an individual basis, Queen Elizabeth II remains at the top of the popularity charts in the UK, followed by Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne – Queen’s daughter.
Prince Harry and Markle’s popularity among the former’s home nation took a massive dip following the couple announcing their decision to step down as working royals and move to the US. The situation worsened even further after their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, and the announcement of Harry’s memoir the same year.
The latest poll data comes after the couple’s popularity slumped the lowest in May ahead of their visit to the UK for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which saw Markle make a return and public appearance in the country for the first time since her royal retirement, the Newsweek report added.
In the May polling, 65 per cent of surveyed Britons said they viewed Markle negatively as opposed to 23 per cent who answered in positive. As much as 11 per cent said they “didn’t know”, summing up the net positive score as -42, which was her lowest ever rating.
Prince Harry also did not score better, with 32 per cent Britons saying they viewed the Duke of Sussex positively. His popularity had soared to 81 per cent positive in November 2017, much ahead of his grandmother – the Queen – when he was engaged to Markle.
Prince Harry and Markle, however, have a more positive response in the US. The YouGov polling in America conducted in February saw them ranked at fifth and sixth places, respectively, in the list of most favourable viewed British royals, the Newsweek report stated.
Among Americans, late Princess Diana remains the most popular royal with the Queen featuring in the second spot. Prince William and Kate were ranked third and fourth, respectively.
This latest polling comes after Markle, in a recent interview with New York spoke about her equation with the Royal Family, adding that “forgiveness is really important” and that she has a “lot to say” until she doesn’t.
