LONDON (Reuters) – The popularity of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan has plummeted in the UK and has never been lower following their explosive interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey, according to a poll released on Friday.
During an interview last Sunday, Meghan said her requests for help, while feeling suicidal, were ignored and that an unnamed family member asked how dark their son Archie’s skin might be.
Meanwhile, Harry, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, also lamented his family’s reaction to the couple’s decision to step down.
The general interview threw the 1,000-year-old monarchy into the biggest crisis of this century, and according to a YouGov poll, the status of the two kings was also very successful.
It was found that 48% of the 1,664 respondents had a negative attitude towards Harry, compared to 45% with a positive view, the first time his net favorability rating was negative and a 15-point decrease compared to a a week earlier.
Meanwhile, only three out of 10 people had a positive view of Meghan, while 58% had a negative opinion.
As with other polls since the interview, there has been a generational divide, with most 18- to 24-year-olds liking Harry and Meghan, and those over 65 having overwhelming negative feelings. of them.
The only other member of the family to see his popularity decline was Harry’s father, the heir to the throne, Prince Charles. The survey showed that 42% now have a negative view of him, compared to 49% with a positive opinion.
This is compared to the 94-year-old queen, who was 80% liked, and Harry’s older brother and his wife Kate, who were popular among the three-quarters of respondents.
A separate poll, conducted in part before the interview aired in the UK, found that support for the monarchy as a whole was largely unchanged, with 63% supporting the institution and 25% wanting an elected head of state.
But there were some worrying figures for the royal family. Among the youngest age group, support for an elected head of state was higher than for the monarchy by 42% to 37%, although YouGov said this falls within the margin of error.
Reported by Michael Holden, edited by Elizabeth Piper