Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's popularity has sunk to an all-time low ahead of their U.K. return for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Two recent polls reveal more and more British people view them negatively.
YouGov and JL Partners held popularity surveys that showed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's public approval went to a record low. Knowing the Duke of Sussex used to be one of the most favorite royal family members, what really happened?
A survey by YouGov revealed nearly two-thirds or 63% held a negative view of the couple. Alternatively, JP Partner's poll showed only 27% had a positive opinion of the military veteran and 22% of his wife.
Express noted the view of the British people toward Prince Harry had dramatically changed in recent years after being one of the most popular royals. So, what happened?
The 2021 survey Piplsay conducted revealed that the Sussexes' sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey worked negatively against them. Entertainment Weekly reported that 50% of the 12,037 participants believed the interview would "ultimately hurt" the pair, while only 23% were convinced it would work in their favor.
Forty percent said they failed to live up to their royal responsibilities, while 66% thought they deserved to have their honorary titles and royal patronages removed. However, 44% supposed the press was too harsh in their coverage of the two, while 36% said the media was only doing its job.
Despite that, the younger generation believes in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle more. Daily Mail cited that in the YouGov poll, 42% of those aged 18 to 24 saw the duke positively, while only 33% thought of him negatively.
But, the older generations already saw them poorly, from age 25 to over 65. As expected, Queen Elizabeth remains the most famous royal, with more than eight in ten Britons having a positive opinion of her. At the same time, only 12% see her negatively, with a net score of +69.
Elsewhere, Prince William received a net score of +59, Kate Middleton with +55, Prince Charles at +19 and Camilla scored +9. Prince Andrew became the least popular royal with a net figure of -80.
The survey comes ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the U.K. to join the four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth. It will also be the first time Her Majesty will meet her great-granddaughter, Lilibet, who will celebrate her first birthday on Saturday, June 4.
