Meghan Markle Slids Lower Than Camilla, Sophie In Latest Popularity Poll
Meghan Markle has slid down from the latest popularity poll of the 15 most prominent members of the British royal family. The Duchess of Sussex ranked in the 11th spot and trailed behind Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.
About 1,515 British locals were polled for their opinion on the royals in the YouGov popularity survey covering October to December 2020. About 40 percent saw Meghan in the negative light and 32 percent said that they had a positive opinion of Prince Harry's wife, while the rest were neutral.
However, Meghan still remains popular among the survey respondents born between 1981 to 1996 (millennials) at 41 percent. She was least popular among respondents born between 1946 to 1964 (Baby Boomers) at 26 percent.
Historically, Camilla, Prince Charles' second wife, polls low in these popularity surveys but she landed in the ninth spot in the recent results. Only 26 percent had a negative opinion of the Duchess of Cornwall, while 37 percent said that they like Camilla. Sophie, Prince Edward's wife and Queen Elizabeth's alleged favorite daughter-in-law, eclipsed Meghan by one spot to land at number 10 with a 33 percent favorable vote.
The latest survey ranked Prince William as the current most popular royal, with 75 percent positive votes followed by the Queen (73 percent) in second place. The third to eighth spots are as follows: Kate Middleton (67 percent), Princess Anne (50 percent), Prince Philip (49 percent), Zara Phillips Tindall (47 percent), Prince Charles (47 percent), and Prince Harry (41 percent).
Princess Eugenie, Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice, and Prince Andrew also made it to the last four spots in the Top 15. Royal commentator Richard Palmer said on Twitter that it was interesting to see Camilla catching up on Prince Harry's popularity, while he's surprised that Andrew "still has a few fans."
The results of the survey, especially Meghan's dip, were not a surprise for some royal commentators. Richard Fitzwilliams said in a previous interview with Daily Express that Meghan, as well as Harry, are becoming less popular in the United Kingdom since they've shifted focus in the United States.
Meghan and Harry are also aiming for a global reach but Fitzwilliams said that the impact of this will move not to be evident until the Sussex pair reveals their latest brand and projects under Archewell or if they completely give up their royal titles. At the moment, the Sussexes are still the president and vice president of the Commonwealth Trust under Queen Elizabeth even as they've given up their ambassador roles. (Business Times)