Members of the royal family have seen their popularity among Americans recover from the declines caused by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell media releases in recent months, new polling undertaken exclusively for Newsweek has shown.
Senior royals including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton all saw their popularity in the U.S. slump after the release of Harry and Meghan's eponymous Netflix docuseries in December and the publication of the prince's Spare memoir in January.
Though the royals' popularity was marginally diminished by allegations made by Harry and Meghan, it was that couple who saw the most dramatic nosedive in their own popularity as a result. New polling shows that, along with their U.K.-based relatives, they have seen a positive upturn in public opinion this month, but they are yet to approach their pre-Netflix levels.
As of April, the royals have all managed to add 10 percentage points or more to their net approval rating over data previously compiled on behalf on Newsweek in February.
Kate Middleton remains the most popular member of the royal family among Americans, while Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla are more popular than before Harry and Meghan's Netflix show aired last year.
How Prince William and Kate Middleton Are Viewed by Americans
Prince William and Kate Middleton are the most popular royal couple among Americans. They have seen their net approval ratings bounce back from recent declines attributed in part to allegations made in Harry and Meghan's media projects.
William was liked by 51 percent and disliked by 10 percent of a reflective sample of 1,500 registered U.S. voters polled by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek on April 4, giving him a net approval rating of +41.
This is a 13-point increase from poll data previously compiled for Newsweek in February, which saw his net approval rating sit at +28. It is also a one-point rise over data compiled on December 5, when his net approval rating was at +40, making him more popular now than before the release of Harry and Meghan's Netflix show.
Kate remains the most popular royal among Americans, being liked by 52 percent and disliked by 9 percent of poll respondents, giving her a net approval rating for April of +43.
This is an 11-point increase over her February rating of +32 and is equal to her rating in December, before the release of the Sussexes' media projects.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle See Positive Turn in Poll Data
Harry and Meghan saw the most dramatic drops in their popularity among Americans after the release of their Netflix show and Harry's Spare memoir. However, like their British-based-relatives, they too have begun to make positive headway.
Harry was liked by 39 percent of survey respondents and disliked by 31 percent, giving him a net approval rating of +8 on April 4.
This is an 18-point increase over data compiled in February, when he received a -10 rating, but it's still 30 points down from his December pre-Netflix polling figure of +38.
Meghan Markle was liked by 33 percent of respondents and disliked by 39 percent, giving her a net approval rating of -6 on April 4.
Thought this figure still shows her rating in negative figures, it has increased by 11 points over her February rating of -17. The number, however, is still 39 points below her December rating of +33.
King Charles and Queen Camilla's Pre-Coronation Popularity
King Charles and Queen Camilla have received a similar boost in popularity.
Charles was liked by 38 percent of respondents and disliked by 17 percent, giving him a net approval rating of +21. This is up 10 points from his +11 rating in February and a nine-point increase over his December rating of +12.
Camilla was liked by 33 percent of respondents and disliked by 23 percent, giving her a net approval rating of +10.
That's a 10-point increase over February, when she listed a zero approval rating, and is a 12-point increase over her December rating of -2.
This shows that Charles and Camilla are more popular among Americans today than before Harry and Meghan's media bombshells, which saw Harry accuse his stepmother of leaking stories to the press about him to boost her own PR, and say that his father didn't offer him a hug after the death of Princess Diana.
Charles and Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, with a number of senior royals present. Harry and Meghan's spokesperson confirmed in March that the couple had received "email correspondence" about the event, but didn't confirm if they planned to attend.
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
