Duchess of Sussex Faces Declining Popularity in the US and UK
Harry and Meghan may view America as the best place to raise their children
and build their future, but public opinion doesn’t seem to be on their side. A
royal commentator has suggested that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are facing
widespread dislike on both sides of the Atlantic.
Royal author Ingrid Seward recently remarked, “She’s disliked intensely by a
large number of monarchists in this country. I think a lot of people in
America feel the same.”
Polls back up that claim. In March 2021, shortly after the couple’s Oprah
Winfrey interview, a YouGov survey showed that 68 per cent of Americans
sympathised with Harry and Meghan. Only 27 per cent said they had little or no
sympathy. But by May 2022, sentiment had shifted: Meghan’s favourability had
dropped to 45 per cent positive against 36 per cent negative, leaving her with
a slim approval margin of +9.
The downward trend has continued. In YouGov’s latest US poll from April 2025,
just 41 per cent of Americans said they viewed Meghan positively. That rating
put her behind Prince William, Catherine, and even Harry himself in
popularity.
Critics argue that the public has grown weary of the couple’s narrative, with
many feeling they rely too heavily on their royal titles or position
themselves as victims to gain attention and success.
Since leaving their roles as working royals in 2020 and moving to California,
Harry and Meghan have been in the spotlight almost constantly. They stepped
away in search of freedom from palace restrictions and traditions. Yet despite
breaking away, their efforts to establish new roles have repeatedly sparked
backlash rather than admiration.
It seems that while the Sussexes may have hoped for a fresh start in the
United States, winning over hearts and minds there is proving to be just as
difficult as it was in Britain.
