The couple’s popularity has sunk even further following the release of Harry’s memoirs, Spare.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's popularity in the US 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
