Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's popularity hits new low in US, says poll

JANUARY 20th 2023: Prince Harry's memoir
Harry and Meghan’s popularity has sunk, according to a new poll. (AP) (zz/KGC-375/STAR MAX/IPx)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's popularity in America has sunk to an all-time low, according to a new poll.

The royal couple have barely been away from the headlines over the past two months, following the release of their Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoirs, Spare.

But if the pair had been hoping the media blitz would see their popularity surge to new highs as they settle to life in the US, the Newsweek poll tells a very different story.

Harry and Meghan’s popularity Stateside had already taken a hit after Spare was released but the latest figures show that their favourability continues to dive.

The research, conducted by Redfield & Wilton on 19 February, showed that Harry was disliked by 42% of Americans, compared to 32% who said they liked him.

BATH, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 22: Prince Harry's book on display in a book store on January 22, 2023 in Bath, England. Prince Harry's much anticipated memoir
Harry and Meghan’s popularity took a hit following the release of Harry’s book, Spare. (Getty) (Matt Cardy via Getty Images)

The net approval rating of -10 is a drop of three points from one month ago – and a staggering 48% lower than in December, when his net approval stood at +38.

Meghan is even less popular than her husband, with just 27% of Americans saying they liked her, compared to 44% who said they didn’t – giving her a net approval rating of -17.

This is a drop of four points from one month ago, and of 40 points from the start of December last year, when she had a +23 approval rating.

Watch: What claims did Harry make against brother William in Spare?

What did Harry and Meghan say about South Park?

The Newsweek figures will make grim reading for Harry and Meghan, who last week became the latest target of mocking by US cartoon series South Park.

The episode, entitled The Worldwide Privacy Tour, depicts the ‘Prince of Canada’ attempting to escape the limelight with his princess, all the while writing a book call Waaagh and appearing on chat shows.

The episode mocks the couple for demanding their privacy and being hypocritical because of their dislike of journalists.

South Park pokes fun at Harry and Meghan in new episode
South Park poked fun at Harry and Meghan in a recent episode. (Comedy Central/Paramount)

South Park has previously mocked other royals – most notably Prince William and Kate for their wedding in 2011, while the late Queen was also the target of the show’s creators in 2007.

Meghan and Harry were reportedly considering suing the makers of South Park for the latest episode but a spokesperson for the couple said the reports were “baseless and boring”.

However, the spokesperson would not comment on claims made by the Spectator magazine that Meghan was “upset and overwhelmed” at how she and Harry were depicted in South Park.

How popular are Harry and Meghan in the UK?

Recent polling also shows how Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the UK has declined – particularly since the release of Spare.

The YouGov tracker showed that just a quarter of Britons (24%) think positively of Harry, while 68% have a negative opinion of him – giving him his lowest ever favourability rating of -44.

Recent polling found Harry and Meghan’s popularity drop in the UK. (YouGov)
Recent polling found Harry and Meghan’s popularity drop in the UK. (YouGov)

Meghan fares even worse, with a positive rating of 22% and a negative rating of 68%, giving her a net favourability of -46.

The ratings are so bad for the couple that they are more unpopular that Prince Andrew among the over-65s.

In that age group, 60% have a “very” negative view of Andrew, compared to 69% for Meghan and 73% for Harry.

Across all age groups, only Andrew beats Meghan and Harry in the unpopularity stakes, following his recent legal battles.

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