Harry of England and Meghan Markle are not at their peak of popularity, at least in their host country, the United States.
According to a Redfield & Wilton poll for
Newsweek
on February 19, the affection that Americans profess for the youngest son of Carlos III and his wife has fallen to historic lows.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been at the center of controversy in recent months both for the broadcast of their documentary on Netflix and for the publication of the memoir of the son of King Carlos III, In the
Shadow
.
However, this last month the couple has decided to keep a low profile, so much so that they have not been seen together in public since December 6, almost three months ago, at the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation awards gala. Human Rights, in New York.
Such has been the decline in acceptance among Americans that they are now less popular than even Prince Andrew.
The Duke of Sussex has sunk 48 points in the polls since December, the month in which the marriage documentary was published, leaving him with a rating of -10.
As for his wife, Meghan Markle, he has also lost many points, specifically 40, which puts her at -17.
Until now, Prince Andrew was the worst seen of the British royal family (with a rating of -2 points) because of his controversial friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and because of the controversies in which he has been involved, which he was almost taken to trial with one of the victims.
They even cost him his withdrawal from public office in November 2019. According to the survey, Andrés is supported by 26% of Americans,
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It seems that uncle and nephew are participating in a non-existent competition to see who is the most hated of the British royal family in the United States.
So much so that Prince Henry of England was the first of his family to speak and criticize Andrew.
He did so in his book, where he called all the controversy surrounding him an "embarrassing scandal."
A few words that he uses to demonstrate his differences: he explains how, after the decision of the Dukes of Sussex to leave the institution, Buckingham decided to take away their private security, while the Duke of York maintained protection despite all the controversy generated by the sexual abuse allegations: “He was involved in a shameful scandal, accused of having sexually abused a young girl, no one had even suggested removing his security.
The plummeting popularity of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex comes days after the animated series
South Park
made fun of them and the situation they have denounced for years.
The skit was broadcast on February 15 and was titled
The Worldwide Privacy Tour;
it shows them embarking on a publicity campaign to promote the prince's new book while asking for their privacy to be respected.
Some voices assured that the duchess was "upset and overwhelmed" by the unflattering scene, but everything remained in rumors that the spokespersons for the marriage denied.
This latest Newsweek
survey
suggests that the enormous amount of content broadcast in just a few months by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has only turned a larger part of the public against them, something that until now has not happened in the United States, a country that hosted to the prince after his flight from the UK.
At the beginning of 2023 it was also revealed that, in the British country, 64% of the population had a negative image of the young son of King Carlos III.
Popularity figures that have not stopped decreasing since March 2021, the date on which its acceptance stood at 43% and that already in September of that same year —without documentary or memories through— it was reduced to 34%.