Meghan Markle’s American popularity has taken a knock, dropping seven points in a new poll.
The Duchess of Sussex was liked by 32 percent and disliked 22 percent in the third quarter of 2023, giving her a net approval rating of +10, according to polling of U.S. adults by YouGov.
She had a net approval rating of +17 in the second quarter, meaning she dropped by seven points over the course of July, August and September.
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By contrast, Prince Harry remained steady with a net approval rating of +24, while Prince William dropped a point from +22 to +21 and Kate Middleton did the same from +35 to +34.
YouGov’s quarterly polling uses a different methodology to ordinary surveys, collecting responses over a three-month period, rather than the normal one or two days. Its results were based on a representative sample of about 1,200 U.S. adults.
Possible Explanations
Explaining fluctuations in polling can be fraught with problems, as survey data can’t indicate exactly why respondents have indicated a particular viewpoint. However, understanding the wider context behind shifts in data can be useful.
Harry and Meghan had a rough start to 2023 when the prince’s memoir precipitated a collapse in their American popularity, but they began to bounce back in the spring.
Over the summer, polling for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton, using a different methodology, appeared to indicate that recovery had stalled.
The data showed that the strongest indicator of how a person views Meghan is how they voted in the 2020 presidential election, with Biden supporters giving her a +17 net approval rating and Trump supporters putting her on -20.
Alongside political perspective, came age, with young people more prone to supporting Meghan, and older Americans more likely to oppose her.
YouGov’s data doesn’t measure political persuasion, but it does reflect a similar trend with age, with 43 percent of millennials liking Meghan compared to 29 percent of Gen X and 27 percent of baby boomers.
Additionally, the summer saw unfounded gossip spread on social media suggesting the couple were secretly getting an $80 million divorce.
It isn’t clear how widely those rumors were seen by the public, but if that contributed to the decline in Meghan’s standing then that may, counterintuitively, be good news for her.
In mid-September, towards the end of the polling period when much of the YouGov data would already have been collected, Meghan and Harry put on a public display of affection at the Invictus Games.
Since then, the speculation appears to have substantially died down. If unfounded divorce gossip was the cause, she may therefore be able to look forward to an uptick in quarter four.
Where the Royals Stand
Meghan was liked by 32 percent and disliked 22 percent. Net approval: +10.
Harry was liked by 48 percent and disliked by 24 percent. Net approval: +24.
William was liked by 40 percent and disliked by 19 percent. Net approval: +21.
Kate was liked by 41 percent and disliked by 7 percent. Net approval: +34.
Where They Stood in Quarter Two
Meghan was liked by 40 percent and disliked by 23 percent. Net approval: +17.
Harry was liked by 48 percent and disliked by 24 percent. Net approval: +24.
William was liked by 43 percent and disliked by 21 percent. Net approval: +22.
Kate was liked by 46 percent and disliked by 11 percent. Net approval: +35.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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