Meghan Markle and Harry’s reputations nosedive after Oprah interview in new poll
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's popularity in the US has nosedived since their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, a poll suggests.
The couple's chat with the talk show icon had damaged their once blossoming reputation stateside.
Research also suggested the Duke of Sussex, 39 is more popular than his former actress wife in her home nation.
More than 1,400 Americans were surveyed about their views on the royal pair in the wake of their controversial interview with Winfrey, which premiered in the US on March 7.
The study by YouGov US and the Economist, conducted between March 13 and 17, found more than a quarter (26%) had a "very" or "somewhat unfavourable" opinion of Harry, compared to a third (33%) saying they now disliked Meghan.
More than half (54%) had a "very" or "somewhat favourable" opinion of Harry, while just under half (48%) felt the same about. Meghan.
The figures give the duke and duchess net scores of 28 and 15, respectively – down 10 points since before the interview.
Political leanings look to have played a major part in the study, with Meghan, 39, being favoured more by Democrat voters (44%) than Republican supporters (10%).
Somewhat unsurprisingly, almost half of Donald Trump fans (45%) admitted they held a very unfavourable opinion of her following the former US president's bitter war of words with the duchess in recent years.
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Harry, meanwhile, attracted a similar divide, with 48% of Biden supporters having a a very favourable view of him. Almost a third (32%) held a somewhat favourable view.
Despite their plummeting popularity, 61% said they supported the couple's decision to quit royal duties last year – just 11% said they were against it.
However, just 13% of those polled said they had watched the whole interview.
During the two-hour TV special, the couple accused an unnamed royal of showing "concern" about the colour of their – then-unborn – son Archie due to Meghan's mixed-race heritage.
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The duchess also claimed she felt suicidal as a working member of the Royal Family while alleging "the Firm" were "perpetuating falsehoods" about the couple since quitting royal duties.
This popularity drop echoes a recent study UK, which found their popularity had dwindled since the chat was aired in the UK last week.
In a YouGov poll of 1,664 Brits, 58% said they held a negative view of the duchess. Just 31% had a positive view of the former actress, leading to her net rating dropping from -14 to -27 within just over a week.
And Harry didn't fare much better, with less than half (45%) of those surveyed having a positive opinion of the Duke of Sussex. Some 48% now view him negatively and a net score of -3.
The pair enjoyed a small increase in popularity in the lead-up to the interview, but that quickly dwindled among those surveyed once the chat aired.
Earlier this month – before the pre-recorded interview was broadcast – public relations and crisis communications consultant Mark Borkowski warned the couple faced a "real reputation mess" once the show aired.
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