eghan Markle’s U.K. fan base appears to have collapsed almost completelyâwith just 1 percent of Boomers feeling “very positive” about her, new polling shows.
The Duchess of SusđâŻđ was disliked by 65 percent of Brits, including 45 percent whose view of her was “very negative” and 20 percent who opted for the less severe “fairly negative.”
By contrast, just 4 percent of U.K. adults said they were “very positive” about Meghan, while 18 percent were “fairly positive,” in a poll by YouGov on May 1 and 2 which was released this week.
The data comes after Meghan last week swerved a trip to Britain, leaving Prince Harry to promote his Invictus Games tournament in London without his wife.
Overall, Meghan had a net approval rating of minus 43, a drop of five points compared to the beginning of April when she was on minus 38.Among over 65s, 82 percent viewed her negatively, including 68 percent who ticked “very negative,” and this compares to just 1 percent who viewed her “very positively.”
Polls carry a margin of error and are an inexact science. However, that would suggest a ballpark estimate of just 110,000 U.K. Boomers who view Meghan very positively, based on 2021 census data.
That is small enough that they could almost fit in Michigan Stadium. And they could comfortably all go to the Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs, which has a capacity of 165,000.
Attitudes warm steadily the younger a person becomes, but even 18- to 24-year-olds still dislike her more than they approve of her.
Meghan was viewed positively by 36 percent of Gen Z and negatively by 40 percent, though again feelings were stronger in the negative camp.
There were just 9 percent who viewed her very positively compared to 20 percent who ticked “very negative.”
Unsurprisingly, she is widely disliked by conservatives but she was also disliked by 49 percent of people who voted for the left-leaning Labour Party in 2019, when it was led by socialist Jeremy Corbyn, Britain’s answer to Bernie Sanders. This compares to 38 percent of 2019 Labour voters who liked her. And 26 percent were “very negative” compared to 8 percent who were “very positive.”
In short, Meghan no longer has a fan base as far as Britain is concerned. The data is not broken down according to ethnicity or religion, but, based on the information available, there is no identifiable demographic who love and adore her and hang off her every word. Even among young people and progressives.
Some of the data makes grim reading for Harry too, though there is more light at the end of the tunnel for the Duke of SusđâŻđ.
Gen Z are still more likely to view him positively than negatively, with a net approval rating among 18- to 24-year-olds of plus 6.
Like Meghan, though, he has single-digit percentages for “very positive” in every single breakdown, across all genders, age groups, regions, political affiliations and social class.
By contrast, Princess Kate is viewed very positively by 61 percent of Boomers and 20 percent of Gen Z. Meanwhile, 67 percent of those who voted for Conservative former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019 felt the same, alongside 27 percent who chose Corbyn’s Labour Party in the same election.
This strongly positive fan base extends to 59 percent of those who voted to leave the European Union but also to 37 percent of those who chose to remain.
Meghan was viewed very positively by 2 percent of leavers but also just 7 percent of remainers.
Queen Camilla has long been viewed as one of the less popular royals, with Britain favoring Kate, Prince William and King Charles III above her, but she also has a clear base in the polling data.
She is disliked by Gen Z Brits, with a net approval rating of minus 30, but liked by over 65s, with a net approval of plus 43. And among Boomers, 34 percent were “very positive.”
Overall, her net approval was plus nine among U.K. adults, including 50 percent who liked her and 41 percent who did not.
And there were some strong hostile feelings, with 21 percent ticking “very negative,” but 16 percent were also “very positive.”
It brings into stark relief just how far Harry and Meghan have sunk that there is not a single demographic group that can muster more than a single digit for “very positive” support.
Harry’s visit to Britain, in which his project for veterans was commemorated at St. Paul’s Cathedral, was on the face of it a PR success, however, he still has a mountain to climb.
That may be a key factor for him to consider in choosing where to host the Invictus Games in 2027 in a context where there is a shortlist of two cities: Washington D.C. and Birmingham, in England.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
