Queen Elizabeth II was named the third most admired woman of 2021 in a global survey—one place ahead of Oprah Winfrey.
The monarch, 95, was the highest ranking non-America woman and only royal on the list, put together by pollsters YouGov based on 42,000 survey respondents across 32 countries.
Oprah Winfrey's delicate questioning drew out bombshell allegations against the royal family from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during a prime time CBS special in March.
Meghan's account of an unnamed racist royal expressing concern about how dark her unborn child's skin might be was met by the queen's response that "some recollections may vary."
However, the trans-Atlantic bombshell Meghan interview did not change either Elizabeth or Oprah's standing from last year, with the talk show host again in fourth place.
Both were behind Michelle Obama, named the most admired woman in the world for the third year running.
Barack Obama was also named the most admired man in the world, almost five years after he left the White House following two terms as president.
No other royals appeared on the top 20 lists for either men or women.
Priyanka Chopra, a friend of Meghan's, came in 10th, one below Malala Yousafzai (ninth) and above Kamala Harris (11th) and Hilary Clinton (12th).
The findings reflect the enduring power of the queen's global reputation at a time when she is nearing the end of her reign, having recently cancelled a series of key in-person visits due to a health scare.
It hints at the scale of the mountain Prince Charles may have to climb to establish his reputation as Elizabeth's successor on the world stage one on the throne.
An article by YouGov revealing the findings read: "Altogether, we polled in countries that constitute more than seven-tenths of the world's population.
"However, some parts of the world were better represented than others, so we weighted up the impact certain countries had on the final scores and weighted down others so the global scores more accurately reflect the breakdown of sentiment in the world overall."
The initial fieldwork that identified the top 20 male and female global icons was conducted in the spring, at the height of the global debate about Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview and the royal family's response.
The queen consistently scores high in U.K. polling with recent YouGov data showing she is popular among 72 percent of Britons and viewed negatively by 11 percent, giving her a net approval of +61 percent.
She is the most popular public figure in the country, followed by Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and her husband Prince Philip.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
