10
Loading video...
By Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Meghan Markle's net approval rating in the United Kingdom slipped to minus 43 in the second quarter of 2026 in a new poll, her lowest yet through that system of measurement.
According to YouGov Ratings, the Duchess of Sussex was liked by 18 percent and disliked by 61 percent in the three months from April to June, down from the first quarter when she was liked by 26 percent and disliked by 47 percent, a net approval of minus 21. The decline represents a 22-point drop in her net approval rating compared with the previous quarter.
The historic low comes during a bumpy year for the duchess, which included Netflix withdrawing as an equity partner in her lifestyle business, As Ever, in March. In April, Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, went on a high-profile visit to Australia and, in May, she gave a speech on the dangers of social media in Geneva, Switzerland.
Read More on Analysis
...
Why It Matters
Meghan quit the palace and left the U.K. in 2020, reducing the importance of her popularity in the country, but is preparing to take her lifestyle business As Ever global, with Britain one of a handful of countries showing consistent interest, according to data from Similarweb.
At the same time, Harry is showing increasing interest in the U.K. after Birmingham was picked over Washington, D.C., as host city for his 2027 Invictus Games. The Sussex family visited the U.K. in July, when Harry and Meghan took their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to see King Charles III for the first time since 2022.
Meghan Markle's Popularity According to the Poll
Meghan's positive score in the rating has been lower through YouGov Ratings on only one occasion since October 2020, and that was in April 2025.
The 18 percent who did say that they liked the duchess were substantially made up of millennials, among whom she was liked by 33 percent and disliked by 40 percent.
Among Generation X, she was disliked by 80 percent and liked by 8 percent, while 75 percent of baby boomers disliked her compared to 11 percent who liked her. She scored slightly better with men (60 percent negative and 25 percent positive) than women (63 percent negative, 13 percent positive).
Meghan's popularity using this particular methodology had improved over the previous three quarters before a sharp decline in quarter two.
Meghan Markle's 2026
Opinion polling is one means of attempting to gauge public sentiment, but approval ratings of this kind have no means of assessing why attitudes change. There were a number of ups and downs over the course of the year, but none give a definitive explanation for the dip in Meghan's popularity.
The year began with turbulence for her lifestyle brand, As Ever, after a weakness in the design of its website allowed her social media critics to identify its inventory totals, revealing she had $21.8 million worth of product, including, for example, $1.2 million worth of edible flower sprinkles.
Netflix withdrew as an equity partner in the business in March. Both sides presented the move as part of a planned evolution, with Meghan continuing the brand independently, but it nevertheless fueled scrutiny of her post-royal business model.
At the time, Nick Ede, a U.K.-based brand and culture expert, told Newsweek: "It feels like everything that they do never really goes anywhere, especially Meghan."
In April, Meghan and Prince Harry traveled to Australia for a program of private, business and philanthropic engagements, their first visit to the country since their 2018 royal tour. The trip attracted significant media attention, with supporters viewing it as evidence of the couple's continuing international profile, while critics characterized it as a "faux royal tour."
There were some good PR moments for the couple, including a visit to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne on April 14, 2026, where they were swarmed by crowds of clinicians and staff.
...
One of Meghan’s most prominent appearances came in Geneva in May, where she spoke at an event focused on online child safety and the impact of social media on young people.
The appearance also generated criticism online, with some commentators arguing that her message sat uneasily alongside her sharing photographs of her children on Instagram. Meghan's policy is to obscure the faces of her children in posts.
More recently, Meghan brought Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to join Prince Harry in the later stages of his visit to Britain earlier this month.
During the trip, they met King Charles III at Highgrove, his private residence in the west of England, and visited Althorp, the estate of Princess Diana's family. Diana's grave is located on an island in the middle of a lake at the estate, and Meghan later posted photographs of the children carrying bunches of flowers in the gardens nearby, apparently intended for the graveside.
Other Polling
Most polls are conducted over a few days and therefore offer a snapshot of public opinion at that specific point in time. The YouGov Ratings methodology involves polling throughout the year, with results grouped by quarter. The aim is to provide a picture of public attitudes that is less susceptible to spikes in opinion.
YouGov has also done some recent research using the more traditional methodology. Over July 21 and 22, Meghan was disliked by 65 percent and liked by 22 percent, giving her a net approval rating of minus 43. This compares to a net rating of minus 47 at the time of YouGov's last traditional poll, which was in mid-April, a slight improvement.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton, Cristina Diciu, Sam Wilson.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines