Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Surge in Popularity

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back in America's good graces after a surge in their popularity, a year to the date after their Netflix show helped burst the Sussex bubble.

The couple have posted their best net approval ratings in ten rounds of polling by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek just as they are about to call time on a year in which their star fell.

On December 5, last year, Harry had a net approval rating of plus 38 while Meghan's was plus 23, according to polling by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek.

Three days later, on December 8, their Netflix show Harry & Meghan was released and showed the duchess performing her now infamous mock curtsy, felt by some to be culturally disrespectful.

A month later, Harry's book Spare gave granular detail about his experience of getting frostbite on his penis and by the time the dust settled on the memoir Harry's net approval rating had hit -7 and Meghan's -13.

A year to the day on from Part I of their Netflix series and the mock curtsy, Redfield & Wilton, on behalf of Newsweek, asked a representative sample of 1,500 Americans what they thought of Harry and Meghan—and the results may trigger a sigh of relief in Montecito.

The prince was liked by 45 percent and disliked by 16 percent giving him a net approval rating of plus 29. The figures, collected on December 8, represent a 17-point swing compared to September when he was on plus 12.

And Meghan was liked by 38 percent and disliked by 23 percent putting her on plus 15, a swing of 13 points compared to September, when she was on minus 2.

Meghan was liked by an outright majority of millennials, 53 percent, compared to 16 percent who disliked her, while boomers were the only age group in which she was disliked more than liked.

Among over 59s, 27 percent viewed her favorably while 38 percent viewed her unfavorably.

And 51 percent of 2020 Joe Biden voters approved of Meghan, compared to 17 percent who opposed her.

Even among 2020 Donald Trump voters attitudes appear to be softening, though she was still more disliked (35 percent) than liked (29 percent).

And for Prince Harry even Trump voters liked him more than they disliked him, with 38 percent viewing him favorably and 24 percent unfavorably.

Among Biden voters, it was a resounding thumbs up with 58 percent in favor and 12 percent viewing him negatively.

The change may partly be a product of the fact America has had a break from the royals after the over-exposure, and perhaps oversharing, that came with the release of Spare and Harry & Meghan.

The surge in their popularity will also lay the groundwork for future projects they are currently working on, including through what remains of their Netflix deal.

Harry and Meghan are thought to be producing an adaptation of the romance novel Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, they do not appear to have been damaged by the allegations in the British press that they were responsible for King Charles III being identified as the royal who made a racially charged comment about their unborn child.

Omid Scobie's book Endgame accidentally named Charles in its Dutch edition, seemingly based on the wrong draft being sent to the publisher.

Some in Britain have interpreted the saga as a new attack on the monarchy from Montecito, but that narrative does not appear to have cut through in America.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent 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.

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.