Since stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the spotlight. The reporting has been mostly negative and fed by the Sussexes' many revelations made in their Netflix special and Prince Harry’s book Spare.
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Very recently, Omid Scobie’s book Endgame has somehow backfired on the Sussexes. Though they claim they didn’t contribute to the book, many meet this statement with scepticism. The couple has also been criticised for keeping silent when the Dutch translation of Endgame included the names of the members of the Royal Family who allegedly raised concerns over Prince Archie’s skin tone.
Now, a surprising new poll conducted by Newsweek has revealed that the Sussexes’ popularity is not as low as we thought.
A surprising new poll
In an article published on 13 December 2023 Newsweek reveals that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ‘back in America’s good graces’.
Another poll conducted by Newsweek in 2022 says that the couple’s ‘net approval ratings’ were +38 for Prince Harry and +23 for Markle. However, very quickly this rating fell after the couple released their Netflix documentary.
Curious to see what the ratings would be a year after the documentary, Newsweek conducted the same poll in 2023. They sampled 1500 Americans and the results are far from last year’s (post documentary).
Prince Harry is at a ‘net approval rating’ of +29 and Meghan Markle’s is at +15. Millennials are the group of people who like them the best with a 53% approval rating. Interestingly enough, the poll also reveals that Trump voters have softened their view of Meghan Markle.
According to Newsweek it appears like the Sussexes have not ‘been damaged by the allegations in the British press that they were responsible for King Charles III being identified as the royal who made a racially charged comment about their unborn child’. Of course the same cannot be said about opinions in the UK.
Harry and Meghan - liked more but getting less money
Though Newsweek’s poll is positive, news about the finances of the Sussexes’ foundation Archewell isn’t. CBS News reports that in 2022, the couple’s foundation ‘suffered an $11 million decline in donations’.
As a reminder, Archewell was founded in October 2020 to ‘uplift and unite communities, both local and global, online and offline’. CNN quoting the foundation’s tax filing the foundation was in the red in 2022 as it received only $2 million ‘in charitable contributions’. According to CNN the foundation still ‘holds just over $8.3 million in assets and cash’.
Responding to the drop in contributions, Mirror reports Archewell’s words:
It is most fiscally responsible not to continue to raise large sums of money with millions still in reserve.
This loss in contributions follows a tough 2023 for the couple who have seen their Spotify deal dropped. They also face rumours about the future of their Netflix deal as Prince Harry’s Invictus docu-series wasn’t a huge success. Moreover, even though Spare reached Amazon’s top selling book list, it wasn’t a huge success if we measure things other than money.
On 7 December, The Hollywood Reporter revealed their ‘Biggest Hollywood Winners and Losers of 2023’ and Prince Harry and Meghan appear on the loser list. According to them, their ‘whiny Netflix documentary’ and their ‘whiny biography’ led to their brand swelling ‘into a sanctimonious bubble just begging to be popped’. A harsh review.
Read more:
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan: This expert believes '2024 is going to be seismic' for the couple
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stripped of their titles: Who is Bob Seely, the MP asking for this?
Sources:
Newsweek: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Surge in Popularity
CNN News: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Archewell Foundation sees $11 million drop in donations
The Hollywood Reporter: The Biggest Hollywood Winners and Losers of 2023: From Margot Robbie to Marvel
Mirror: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dealt huge blow as charity donations plunge by almost £9million
