It downhill without brakes. The number of Britons who have a positive opinion of Henry of England and Meghan Markle has not stopped decreasing since March 2021, after the inflammatory interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they attacked the royal family, accusing her, among other things, of racism and showing concern about the skin color of Archie, the first-born of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In the new poll published by the international group YouGov —Specialized in data analysis and market research— the number of people who think positively of the youngest son of Charles of England and Diana of Wales falls as much as nine points from 43% to 34%, compared to the previous study carried out in April. Markle follows her husband’s trend, although to a lesser extent and loses only three points —from 29% to 26% -, although she accumulates many more negative opinions, 65% compared to Enrique’s 59%. Figures that are still far from those of Prince Andrew, with 83% of opinions against, which once again place him as the member of the royal house worst valued by his compatriots.
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The loss of popularity of the prince and Markle is even more pressing when the current valuation is compared with that of October 2019. Almost two years ago, YouGov, a leader in market analysis in the United Kingdom, published the same poll, but then 71% of those polled were in favor of Enrique, while his wife accumulated 55% of positive votes. Since then, Lady Di’s son has lost 28 points and his wife, 21. The decline, which seems more and more irreversible, began to be more than evident in January 2020, after her decision to abandon her royal obligations and move to USA. Five days after the news was made public, his approval was already at the 55% and 38% respectively.
The British have no doubt. Despite the 69 years that he has been on the throne, nothing seems to be able to take away the admiration of the citizens and Elizabeth II is, once again, the member who comes out the best in the survey, carried out among 1667 people over 18 years of age. The monarch has 80% positive votes, although it is slightly lower than that registered in April, when it reached 85%. The sovereign is followed on the list as favorites prince william and Kate Middleton, with a 78% and 75% approval rating.
There are no significant differences between men and women when it comes to their opinion of the Dukes of Sussex. However, there are if age is taken into account. While half of 18-25 year olds approve of Prince Harry and Markle, approval falls below 20% among those over 65. Taking into account the data reflected in the survey, it can be said that the profile of the dukes’ detractors is that of a man or woman mainly over 50 years old, a conservative party voter and who gave your support for Brexit. By region, the Scots are the most reluctant, in general, to any member of the royal family.
Although the statements of Harry of England and Meghan Markle in the interview with Winfrey directly questioned the royal family, the popularity of the other members does not seem to have suffered, judging by the last two polls, and they have only taken their toll on the Dukes of Sussex. Not even posting on The Guardian of documents showing Buckingham’s historical racism – which prevented the hiring of immigrants or ethnic minorities at least until the late 1960s– has made a dent in the appreciation that the British have of their head of state. His son Andrés from England has not suffered the same fate. If only 10% gave him a positive vote in the previous poll, in April, when he was already closely related to the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, now that he has been accused by one of the mogul’s victims of having abused her when he was 17 years, approval has dropped to 6%.
In what seems like an attempt at rapprochement, this Saturday it was known that the Dukes of Sussex have asked the queen for a meeting in the coming weeks with the intention that she meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet Diana, born last June in the United States , where the couple currently resides, who would be planning the christening of the little girl at Windsor Castle. As published The Sun and other British newspapers, the proposal has surprised those close to the monarch after the statements that both have made in recent months. The request has not yet been answered, but should the meeting finally take place this would be Markle’s first trip to the UK after she and Enrique decide despite their royal duties and move to the other side of the Atlantic.
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This note contains information on various sources in cooperation with said media.
