Support for the Sussexes slumps: Now only Prince Andrew is less popular than Harry and Meghan… and just a third believe all of their claims about the Royal family
- Responses to major study leave Duke of Sussex with approval rating of just 22%
- Even those aged 18 to 34 are no longer fans, as two fifths say they dislike them
Prince Harry and Meghan’s popularity continues to slump – but their claims of racism in the Royal Family have hit home for some, polling reveals.
Responses to a major study by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft leave the Duke of Sussex with an approval rating of just 22 per cent, with his wife at 18 per cent. Only Prince Andrew (7 per cent) is less liked.
It seems the couple’s endless tell-all interviews moaning about their treatment before they left for a lucrative life in the United States have taken their toll on their popularity.
One focus group respondent remarked: ‘It was “we don’t want the publicity, we don’t want the attention, we just want to live our lives. Now stay tuned for our documentary and my book”.’
Even those aged 18 to 34 are no longer fans of the runaway royals, with two fifths saying they dislike them and just under a third looking on them favourably.
Responses to a major study by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft leave the Duke of Sussex with an approval rating of just 22 per cent and the Duchess 18 per cent
It puts them among the least popular in the family, and far behind Queen Camilla (39 per cent), King Charles (54 per cent), Kate and Princess Anne (62 per cent), and Prince William (64 per cent).
The polling suggests Prince Harry might be in for a bumpy reception from the public when he jets in for the Coronation this week – and perhaps explains why he plans to return home just two hours later.
The couple released a Netflix series last year where they laid into the royals, after previously suggesting in their Oprah Winfrey interview that an unnamed relative had asked what colour their baby would be.
Following the Queen’s death, Harry published intimate details of his family’s private life in his autobiography, Spare.
Despite this, the couple continue to promote themselves as privacy freedom fighters.
But while 46 per cent of those surveyed said they did not believe the accusations the Sussexes made about their treatment by the Royal Family, a significant minority (33 per cent) thought they were credible.
It exposes a big divide along race and age lines, with 51 per cent of 18 to 34s believing them as well as 66 per cent of black African or Caribbean respondents and 47 per cent of Asians.
Half of black African or Caribbean respondents also have more sympathy for the Sussexes in their family fallout, with only 6 per cent more sorry for the rest of the family.
This is in stark contrast to the population at large, where just 13 per cent have sympathy for Harry and Meghan against 40 per cent in favour of the rest of the Royal Family.
The divide is shown most strongly when respondents were asked if the treatment of Meghan ‘demonstrates some racist views within the Royal Family’.
Half of Britain disagrees, with only a third believing the statement, but three in four black African or Caribbean respondents agreed with the statement and just 11 per cent were against it.
Just over half of 18 to 34-year-olds believe Meghan’s treatment revealed ‘racist views’ too with only 28 per cent disagreeing. Every other age category had it the other way round, with 67 per cent of over-55s disagreeing with the statement.
The polling suggests Prince Harry might be in for a bumpy reception from the public when he jets in for the Coronation this week
Following the Queen’s death, Harry published intimate details of his family’s private life in his autobiography, Spare
Laying bare the divisions, one person told a focus group: ‘I bet they’d never had a person of colour enter that house.
‘Even the corgis probably said something.’ But another said: ‘If my brother was with a white girl, I’d ask what colour the baby was going to be. It’s not racist, it’s just family chat.’
One respondent said the royals needed intrigue to remain relevant.
They added: ‘The drama is part of it. You need the bad characters and the good characters. People like it because it’s real life. It’s not a reality show, it’s a real show.’
