Support for Sussex’s slumps: now only Prince Andrew is less popular than Harry and Meghan… and only a third believe all their claims about the royal family
- Responses to major survey leave Duke of Sussex with an approval rating of just 22%
- Even the 18 to 34 year olds are no longer fans, as two-fifths say they dislike them
Prince Harry and Meghan’s popularity continues to fall, but their claims of racism in the royal family have hit some, polls show.
Responses to a major survey by former Conservative Vice-Chairman Lord Ashcroft give the Duke of Sussex an approval rating of just 22 per cent, while his wife has 18 per cent. Only Prince Andrew (7 percent) is less popular.
It seems the couple’s endless tell-all interviews, in which they moan about their treatment before departing for a lucrative life in the United States, have taken a toll on their popularity.
One focus group respondent commented, “It was “we don’t want publicity, we don’t want attention, we just want to live our lives. Now stay informed about 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 viewing them positively.
Responses to a major survey by former Conservative Vice-Chairman Lord Ashcroft leave the Duke of Sussex with an approval rating of just 22 per cent
It places them among the least popular in the family, well behind Queen Camilla (39 percent), King Charles (54 percent), Kate and Princess Anne (62 percent), and Prince William (64 percent).
The polls suggest Prince Harry may be in for a bumpy reception from the public when he flies to the coronation this week – and may explain why he plans to return home just two hours later.
The couple released a Netflix series last year where they ran into the royals, after previously suggesting in their Oprah Winfrey interview that an unnamed relative had asked what color their baby would be.
After the Queen’s death, Harry published intimate details of his family’s private life in his autobiography Spare.
Despite this, the couple continues to promote themselves as fighters for freedom of privacy.
But while 46 per cent of those surveyed said they did not believe the Sussexes’ allegations about their treatment by the royal family, a sizeable minority (33 per cent) thought they were credible.
It exposes a major race-age divide, with 51 percent of 18-34 year olds believing them, as well as 66 percent of Black African or Caribbean respondents and 47 percent of Asians.
Half of black African or Caribbean respondents are also more sympathetic to the Sussexes in their family disputes, with only 6 percent more sympathetic to the rest of the family.
This is in stark contrast to the general population, where only 13 percent sympathize with Harry and Meghan compared to 40 percent with the rest of the royal family.
The divide is most pronounced when respondents were asked whether Meghan’s treatment “demonstrates some racist attitudes within the royal family.”
Half of Britain disagrees, only a third believe the statement, but three in four Black African or Caribbean respondents agreed with the statement and only 11 per cent opposed it.
Just over half of those aged 18 to 34 believe Meghan’s treatment also revealed “racist views,” while only 28 percent disagreed. Every other age category had it the other way around: 67 percent of the over-55s disagreed with the statement.
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The polls suggest Prince Harry may be in for a bumpy reception from the public when he flies to the coronation this week
After the Queen’s death, Harry published intimate details of his family’s private life in his autobiography Spare
Exposing the division, one person told a focus group, “I bet they never let a person of color into that house.
“Even the corgis probably said something.” But another said, “If my brother was with a white girl, I’d ask what color the baby would be.” It’s not racist, it’s just family talk.”
One respondent said the royal family needed intrigue to stay 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.’