The hits keep coming for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Just a few weeks after a UK media watchdog found in Piers Morgan’s favor concerning his controversial comments following the royal couple’s Oprah Winfrey interview, a new poll has revealed that the Sussexes’ approval rating is at its lowest point. Their approval ratings have been steadily declining since January 2020, but this latest dip comes courtesy of a group that had long been their biggest supporters.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s Dismal Approval Ratings Worseen
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may have moved to sunny California, but their reputation back in rainy Britain is as frosty as ever. The two have suffered yet another drop in approval ratings in the UK according to pollsters YouGov, via Newsweek. Surprisingly, the biggest drop for the couple came from a group that had previously been locked down: young adults.
In the days after their joint interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, polls showed that 59 percent of 18-24-year-olds supported Harry while Markle enjoyed a 55 percent approval from the same group. Only 28 percent disapproved of Harry while 32 percent said they viewed Markle negatively. That still left the couple with a net positivity of +31 and +23 percent respectively. Those numbers have since dropped dramatically.
The latest poll shows that Harry’s positive approval rating in the group has dropped to about 47 percent while his negativity rating has risen significantly to 44 percent. Markle is reportedly viewed positively by 50 percent of the 18-24-year-old crowd and is viewed negatively by 40 percent. Harry’s net approval rating among the group now sits at a dismal +3 percent while Markle’s is only moderately better at +10 percent.
Where They Used To Be
Before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they’d be stepping back from their royal duties in January 2020, the two had much higher approval ratings. Harry was viewed positively by 73 percent of Britons of all ages while Markle sat pretty at 55 percent. Those numbers are a lot lower these days, with Markle sitting at a net approval rating of -39 percent and Harry’s net rating at -25 percent among all age groups.
For comparison, Queen Elizabeth has a net approval rating of +67 percent and Prince William is sitting at a +62 percent rating among all ages. In fact, the Queen even beats the Sussexes among the youth with +32 percent among those aged 18-24.
Why The Numbers Dropped So Drastically
This shift comes after Harry particularly stroked controversy after making several negative comments about growing up in the royal family. Many royal watchers have taken offense at the way Harry described his life as a royal, including his references to “genetic pain” that his father, Prince Charles, passed down to him. These recent admissions have done nothing to endear the erstwhile prince to the British public.
Despite the fact that he currently lives in the US, Harry has made it clear that the UK is still his home and has attended several events in the country since his controversial comments. With Harry’s newly announced memoir about his royal upbringing on the horizon, it stands to reason that these numbers will drop further.