Prince William has emerged from the accusations lodged by younger brother Prince Harry in recent months relatively unscathed in terms of popularity, new data has shown.
Despite Harry's claims in his record-breaking memoir Spare and six-part Netflix docuseries—much of which painted William in an unflattering light—new poll data covering the first quarter of 2023, shows that William remains one of the most popular living royals among Brits, while Harry has seen his standing in his home country diminished.
According to data from YouGov, William is liked by 65 percent of Britons and disliked by 17 percent, giving him a net popularity rating of +48. This has dropped marginally from the data gathered in the fourth quarter of 2022, which showed the prince with a net popularity rating of +50, though it is similar to results for other members of the royal family.
He is tied for the public's affection with wife Kate Middleton who is equally liked by 65 percent of Brits. however, her dislike score of just 8 percent gives her a net popularity rating of +57, pushing her ahead of her husband overall.
The data tells a different story for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, who see their net popularity ratings in minus figures. According to YouGov's data for Q1 of 2023, the prince was liked by 29 percent of Brits and disliked by 51, giving him a net popularity rating of -22.
Meghan was liked by 23 percent of respondents, and disliked by 50, giving her a net popularity rating of -27.
For Harry his rating dropped significantly from the fourth quarter of 2022, where he was liked by 40 percent of survey respondents and disliked by 33, giving him a net positivity rating of +7.
The 2023 data from YouGov was compiled in the months after the Stateside-based royals released their bombshell Netflix docuseries, eponymously titled Harry & Meghan. It also covered the period when Harry released his memoir, in which he made a number of allegations against his family members including Queen Camilla and King Charles, but most explicitly his brother, William.
Among the grievances lodged against William, Harry claimed that his older brother was often jealous of the freedom he was afforded as the "spare" in his family, which included being allowed to wear a beard for his wedding to Meghan in 2018.
Among the more serious claims, Harry alleged a case of physical assault, which saw William push his brother to the floor in a 2019 altercation at Kensington Palace over Meghan's treatment of palace staff.
"He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me," Harry wrote of the incident which took place in the kitchen of his Nottingham Cottage home.
"It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog's bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.
"'Come on, hit me! You'll feel better if you hit me!'" William allegedly responded. "'Come on, we always used to fight. You'll feel better if you hit me.'"
"'No, only you'll feel better if I hit you. Please...just leave.'"
William, as of yet, has not publicly commented on Spare or the Netflix docuseries, in line with a similar stance adopted by the king and queen through Buckingham Palace.
For his part, in interviews promoting his book, Harry repeated that he has a "love" for his brother, and looks forward to a day where they may come back together but concedes that "there has been a lot of pain between the two of us."
The last time the brothers were together in public was in September 2022 for the state funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Royal watchers may have an opportunity to see them reunited once again on May 6 for the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey.
Though Harry has not yet publicly confirmed his attendance, his office have confirmed that they received "email correspondence" from the king's team about the national celebrations.
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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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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
