Meghan Markle’s popularity at all-time low, new poll reveals

A survey has found public opinion of the Duchess of Sussex has fallen to -47. Photo / Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex’s popularity has sunk to an all-time low in the UK in the wake of the couple’s New York car chase in May, new polling suggests.

Public opinion of the duchess has fallen to -47, which is the lowest it has been since YouGov began recording her favourability in 2017.

The survey comes after the couple claimed that they were in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi photographers after an awards ceremony in the US in May.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are seen on May 16. Photo / Getty Images

However, after their spokesman said they were subjected to a two-hour “relentless pursuit” on May 16, New York City’s mayor and law enforcement officials subsequently played down the severity of the incident.

The YouGov survey of 2014 people, conducted at the beginning of June, found that some 68 per cent of people now hold a negative view of the duchess, compared to one in five (21 per cent) holding a positive view.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex’s popularity had also declined in the latest polling, falling by two points from April to -36. The duke’s historic appearance in the witness box in his phone hacking court case against the Mirror’s publishers began one day before YouGov’s polling took place.

This is still an improvement on January, however, when the duke’s explosive tell-all memoir Spare was published around the world and his favourability sunk to -44.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Queen's Jubilee in June 2022. Photo / Getty Images

In a handful of TV interviews he did to promote the book, he made a series of bombshell claims about life in the Royal family, such as calling his stepmother the “villain” in his parent’s marriage.

The new polling also revealed that the Princess Royal is the most popular of the family, with her net favourability standing at +60.

Six in 10 responded that they have a positive view of the new monarch, meanwhile, but his popularity is 16 points lower than when he came to the throne in September.

The Queen’s net favourability has fallen to +4, a five-point decrease on its standing of +9 in April.

This remains higher than when YouGov first began recording her popularity in 2011, when it stood at -15.

The Prince and Princess of Wales both saw their popularity increase after the Coronation, with most Britons holding a positive view of the heir to the throne and his wife.

YouGov said net favourability is calculated as the difference between the number of people saying they have a positive view and the number of people saying they have a negative view.

In the Duchess of Sussex’s case, 68 per cent have said they have a negative view of her and 21 per cent have said they have a positive view of her, with 11 per cent answering “don’t know”. This results in a net favourability score of -47.

YouGov said favourability of the institution of the monarchy in general has improved to +25 since before the Coronation, when it stood at +19 in April.

This remains lower than when it was recorded in September, where it stood at +44.