Meghan Markle's public image has taken another hit as polling out of the U.K. suggests she is now more unpopular among Britons than ever.
A survey by global public opinion and data company YouGov in Britain between June 7 and June 8 found that the duchess' net positivity rating currently stands at -47 percent. This is down six points from data compiled by the company in April.
Of the 2,014 U.K. adults surveyed, 24 percent said they had a "very" or "fairly positive" view of Meghan, with 65 percent responding that they viewed her "very" or "fairly" negatively. 11 percent said that they "don't know."
The resulting -47 net positivity rating is Meghan's lowest since YouGov began polling on the duchess in 2017 after her engagement to Prince Harry. Her lowest previous score was registered at -46 percent in January, following the release of Harry's memoir, Spare.
YouGov's June data shows that Harry too has seen his popularity fall once again among his compatriots, registering a net positivity rating of -36 percent, down from -34 in April.
After the dust settled on Spare's January publication, in which Harry made a number of bombshell revelations about members of the royal family, Meghan's positivity score began to look like it had taken a turn for the better, but this new result follows another difficult period in the timeline of Harry and Meghan's post-royal life.
In May—between YouGov's April and June polling—news broke that the duke and duchess had been involved in what their spokesperson described as a "near catastrophic" two-hour paparazzi car chase through the streets of New York City.
The couple had attended the Women of Vision awards in Midtown Manhattan on May 16, at which Meghan was being honored, and after leaving the Ziegfeld Theatre were followed by photographers on their way to the residence the royals were staying at.
The dramatic language used in the spokesperson's statement, which claimed the "relentless" pursuit resulted in "multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers," was criticized by commentators who suggested it had exaggerated the reality of the situation, and was drawing unwarranted parallels with the car accident that claimed Princess Diana's life in 1997.
The NYPD was among the sources to cast doubt on the dramatic account, issuing a statement which read: "On Tuesday, the NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard."
NYC mayor Eric Adams said in a press conference that he doubted a car chase at high speed could have taken place in the city for two hours, but stated that even if it had lasted 10 minutes, it was unacceptable and could have endangered lives.
Despite polling from the U.K. showing a drop in Meghan's popularity since the car chase, results compiled for Newsweek by strategists Redfield & Wilton suggest that among Americans, sentiment towards the duchess was sympathetic.
Of 1,500 U.S. adults surveyed on May 31, 52 percent said they believed Harry and Meghan's account of the NYC incident was accurate. Both also enjoy net approval ratings in positive figures in the States.
According to May data, Harry's net approval rating registered at +18 and Meghan's at +6. This has increased since January when the couple were at -7 and -13 respectively.
Despite this increase, the duke and duchess have not yet regained the popularity which they enjoyed in the U.S. before the release of their bombshell-packed Netflix documentary and Harry's memoir.
Prior to this, in December 2022, polling for Newsweek saw Harry's net approval rating sit at +38 and Meghan's at +23.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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