by Prince Harry’s dramatic fall in Britain has been highlighted by a new poll showing he is blamed for the royal split and has more adults against him than his return to official duties as King Charles recover.
The Ipsos survey for The Standard also showed that personal popularity was increasing compared to a year ago and only around a quarter of its level six years ago.
Just under half of British adults believe the Royal Family is currently divided, with women more likely to take this view, 55 per cent to 41 per cent.
Among those who think there is a rift, 41 per cent name the Duke of Sussex as the person most responsible, the same figure as his wife the Duchess of Sussex, with Prince Andrew third on 28 per cent.
King Charles is on 17 per cent, followed by Queen Camilla jointly with Prince William on 14 per cent each, then the Princess of Wales on nine per cent.
It seemed that the split in the Royal Family was underway.
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex were to attend a ceremony paying tribute to their late mother at the Diana Legacy Award.
William was due to attend the event at the Science Museum in London on Thursday night in person, where he was expected to give a speech to mark the charity’s 25th anniversary and present awards to 20 recipients.
Harry, who now lives in California, was reportedly due to take part in a video call with the winners, but his participation would only take place after William left the ceremony.
With the monarch out of public royal duties as he undergoes treatment for cancer, and Kate also out of official visits as she recovers from stomach surgery, there has been speculation that Harry could return on at least a temporary basis to reduce the workload on others. royal
But there was little public appetite for such a move in the poll.
Around 40 per cent were against a royal return for the Duke, either temporarily or permanently, with only a quarter of adults supporting it.
Older people are more likely to oppose Harry’s comeback, with 58 percent of the 55 to 75 age group taking this view, even if only temporarily.
Only 11 percent of adults name Prince Harry as their favorite royal, a drop of three percentage points in April 2023, while the same number as the Duchess of Sussex dropped to seven percent.
The drop in his popularity compared to spring 2018, when he was the nation’s favourite, on 42 per cent, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II on 32 per cent, just weeks before to marry Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle.
Now, the most popular royal, at 38 percent, is the Princess of Wales.
It’s been just over a month since Prince Harry flew back to London to see the King as he continues his cancer diagnosis fueling hopes of a royal reconciliation, but while father and son may be on speaking terms, insist insiders of the palace that the split with Prince William shows no end. .
Harry’s decision in January 2020 to step down as a working royal and move to California with his family strained their relationship, contradicting William’s sense of duty and loyalty to the institution of the monarchy.
But it is believed that the real damage was done when the Duke and his wife Meghan went public with their views on the royal family and the reasons for their departure.
Their bombshell TV interview with Oprah Winfrey included allegations that an unnamed royal or royal had commented on her then-unborn son Archie’s skin color and Meghan spoke candidly about her mental health and told the US chat show host that she was left in tears in the run up. to their wedding after a disagreement with William’s wife Kate over dresses for the flower girls.
The brother’s relationship was further damaged when Harry published his brilliant memoir Spare which almost destroyed what was left of his relationship with William.
It ranged from scoring minor points at William and Kate’s expense – Harry said the couple were to blame for encouraging him to dress up in a Nazi uniform for a party in 2005 – to more serious revelations such as claims William was “tormented”. by learning about it. his father’s relationship with Camilla.
Harry also described the tension between the two couples, including how his brother got “recomed” when Meghan came in for a hug on their first meeting and perhaps most damning spilled the beans on how a row about his wife’s behavior led to a brawl between the brothers.
He told how William described Meghan as “dishonest” and “difficult” before allegedly grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him into a dog bowl on the floor before challenging Harry to hit back.
Despite the divisions and divisions, 41 percent of Britons believe that the end of the Monarchy would be worse for the country, with 25 percent thinking it would be better if this happened, little has changed on the figures from January last year, but which show a gradual decline in support for the royals over a longer period.
Keiran Pedley, director of Ipsos, said: “These numbers show how far Prince Harry’s popularity has fallen in recent times. He is once the most popular Royal, but only one in ten say he is their favourite.
“Meanwhile, while Harry and Meghan are likely to be blamed for the Royal splits, there is significant public reluctance for Harry to return to Royal duties, even on a temporary basis. Even if they are not opposed by majority action.”
* Ipsos interviewed 1,085 online adults in Britain between 29 February and 3 March. Data is weighted. Full details at ipsos.com/en-uk
