LONDON | Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are reaching unpopularity records with Britons after their confessional interview on American television and their accusations of racism, according to a poll released on Friday.
• Read also: The British royal family is “not racist”, defends himself Prince William
According to this survey carried out by the YouGov institute among 1,664 adults, Britons are for the first time more likely to have a negative opinion (48%) of Prince Harry, 36 years old and sixth in the order of succession to the crown, than positive (45%).
And 31% of those polled have a positive opinion of Meghan Markle, a 39-year-old former American actress, while a majority of 58% consider her negatively.
Conversely, the data suggests that the popularity of the rest of the Royal Family was not dented by the revelations of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
They argued, to justify their withdrawal from the monarchy, untenable media pressure, racism and the lack of support from the royal family regarding Meghan’s suicidal thoughts.
They reported comments that an unnamed member of the royal family allegedly made, before their son Archie was born, about the color of the child’s skin.
Queen Elizabeth II continues to be the top favorite royal figure, with an 80% approval rating. Prince William – Harry’s brother and second in line of succession – and his wife Kate also remain very popular, with an approval rating of around 75%.
Only Prince Charles, Harry’s father and heir to the crown, suffered from the interview. Negative opinions against him increased by six percentage points (to 42%), with favorable opinions falling by 9 points (to 49%).
However, all is not dark for the “Sussexes”, since an in-depth analysis reveals a great disparity according to the age of the respondents: the majority of Britons aged 18-24 have a positive opinion of Prince Harry ( 59%) and Meghan Markle (55%).
In addition, the polls are much more favorable to them in the United States, where the popularity of Harry and Meghan soared after the interview with their friend Oprah Winfrey, reaching respectively approval ratings of 69% (+23 points) and 67% (+22 points). Which makes them the most beloved characters of the royal family, even passing in front of the queen (65% of positive opinions), according to this Morning Consult poll.