Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Approval Rating Lower Than Ever

The hits keep coming for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. A few weeks after a UK media watchdog found in Piers Morgan’s favor concerning his controversial comments following the royal couple’s Oprah Winfrey interview, a new poll revealed that the Sussexes’ approval rating is at its lowest point. Their approval ratings have been declining steadily since January 2020. However, this latest drop comes from a group that has been their most loyal supporters for many years.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s Dismal Approval Ratings Worsen

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may have moved to sunny California, but their reputation back in rainy Britain is as frosty as ever. The two have suffered yet another drop in approval ratings in the UK, according to pollsters YouGov

, via Newsweek. Surprisingly the couple suffered the most from a group previously considered to be stable: young adults.

Polls revealed that 59% of 18-24-year olds supported Harry, while Markle received 55% approval from the same group. Only 28% disapproved of Harry, and 32% said they saw Markle in a negative light. This still leaves the couple with a net positive of +31 and +23, respectively. These numbers have dropped drastically since then.

The latest poll shows that Harry’s positive approval rating has dropped to about 47 percent, while his negativity rating has risen significantly to 44 percent. According to reports, Markle is positively viewed by half of the 18-24-year old crowd while 40 percent view him negatively. Harry’s net approval rating among the group now sits at a dismal +3 percent, while Markle’s is only moderately better at +10 percent.

Where They Used To Be

The two had much higher approval ratings before the Duke, and Duchess of Sussex announced that they’d be stepping back from their royal duties in January 2020. Harry was positively viewed by 73 percent of Britons, while Markle was well-viewed at 55 percent. Those numbers are a lot lower these days, with Markle sitting at a net approval rating of -39 percent and Harry’s net rating at -25 percent among all age groups.

Comparatively, Queen Elizabeth has an approval rating net of +67%, and Prince William is at a +62% rating among all ages. The Queen is even better than the Sussexes among young people with +32% among those 18-24.

Why The Numbers Dropped So Drastically

This shift comes after Harry particularly stroked controversy after making several negative comments about growing up in the royal family. Many royal watchers have taken offense at how Harry described his life as a royal, including his references to “genetic pain” that his father, Prince Charles, passed down to him. These latest admissions did not make the prince more popular with the British public.

Harry is now a resident of the US but has repeatedly stated that the UK is his home. With Harry’s newly announced memoir about his royal upbringing on the horizon, it stands to reason that these numbers will drop further.