Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Become ‘Most Unpopular Couple in Modern British Monarchy History,’ Commentator Says Following New Poll Numbers
In the midst of Prince Harry‘s publicity tour for his memoir Spare and leaked excerpts, a new poll is showing that he and Meghan Markle‘s popularity has just hit a new low in Britain. And with that, the Sussexes are now being labeled the “most unpopular couple in modern British monarchy history.”
Here are the results of new polls in the U.K., plus which other royal’s popularity Harry’s allegations may have had an effect on.
Commentator calls Sussexes the ‘most unpopular and distrusted couple’ in history
Following the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix docuseries and the bombshells in Harry’s book, it seems just about everyone has an opinion about the couple including British conservative commentator Nile Gardiner. The former aide to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has branded Meghan and Harry the “most unpopular couple in modern British monarchy history” following the results of two new polls.
On Jan 6, Gardiner tweeted: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do not deserve to carry royal titles. Their vicious campaign against the royal family is a betrayal of the British people. They have become the most unpopular and distrusted couple in the modern history of the British monarchy.”
In a second tweet, the commentator shared the results of a new YouGov survey that yielded such results.
Prince Harry and Meghan hit new low in popularity polls
Prince Harry, who at one time was voted the most popular royal, has seen his popularity drop each year since he and Meghan stepped down from royal duties.
In September, after the Duke of Sussex participated in processions for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, he saw an uptick in popularity compared to before his grandmother’s death. The prince received a positive rating of 47%, which was up 15 points from his rating months earlier. But 46% still held a negative view of the prince which changed his status from “unpopular” to “divisive.” Meghan meanwhile remained unpopular according to the poll with 59% holding an unfavorable view of her.
Express noted that following the Sussexes’ documentary and leaked excerpts of Spare, their popularity in the U.K. has fallen to a new low. According to Redfield and Wilton, which surveyed 1,500 adults for Spectator, only three in 10 (30%) said they had a “very favorable” or “favorable” view of Harry compared to 45% who thought the opposite. As for the Duchess of Sussex, “less than two months ago 36% of the public had a positive view of Meghan versus 38% who thought negatively of her, but those figures have since plummeted to 23% and 52% respectively.”
Another poll by YouGov also shows just 26% of Britons have a positive view of Prince Harry, the lowest level since tracking began in 2011. The prince also hit a new low among younger Brits, who generally tend to favor him. The survey shows they are divided with 41% holding a positive impression and 41% a negative one. Before the release of their documentary, 49% held a positive view and only 29% a negative one.
Prince William’s popularity has dipped a few points in poll as well
The poll also shows a dip in popularity for Prince Harry’s brother Prince William.
Following the queen’s death, the new Prince of Wales took his grandmother’s spot as the most popular royal family member. However, there’s been a decrease as William’s popularity has fallen eight points from 77% in December to 69% in early January. At the same time, the number of respondents to the YouGov poll with a negative view of him rose from 15% to 20%.
This has left many to wonder if what the Duke of Sussex has mentioned in Harry & Meghan and Spare about his big brother is what drove those numbers to where they are now.
