Reasons Prince Harry’s Popularity Has Declined: Could Marrying A Non-British Be One?

Prince Harry, along with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, has been consistently ranked as one of the most popular royals in past surveys. But fans have noted a slight decline in his popularity rating in a most recent poll.

In a recent YouGov poll, Queen Elizabeth managed to bag the top spot with an approval rating of 72 percent, according to Town&Country. She is followed by Prince Harry with a 71% approval rating in second place, Prince William with 69% in third place, Kate Middleton with 64% and Prince Philip with 54% in fifth place.

The current YouGov rankings show some notable changes compared to the most recent one, which was reported by Express last June. Previously, it was Harry at the top spot with a 72% positive opinion rating with 8% of negative response. At second place was Her Majesty, who also had a 72% positive rating but with a higher negative response of 10 percent.

The second in line to the throne, Prince William, ranked third previously with a 70% positive rating. At fourth spot was Kate, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh in fifth place.

Naturally, it didn’t escape the attention of eagle-eyed fans that Harry’s popularity dropped slightly. In a Quora question “Why is Prince Harry's popularity dropping but Prince William’s is not?” a few fans shared their speculations on why the Duke of Sussex’s popularity might have declined.

Quora user Sue McCune Martin suspects that it might have something to do with the Sussexes’ emphasis on privacy. “Harry’s popularity has waned just a bit because he and Meghan haven’t yet figured out the kind of strategy that will give them some privacy and at the same time give the media and public some access to their lives,” Martin replied to the query.

The trick, according to Martin, is to find what works for them. Consulting with William and Kate might also help, according to her.

“Harry and Meghan will have to figure out a PR balance that works for them,” she explained. “Maybe they should have a serious discussion with William and Catherine about how they arrived at what works for them.”

Another Quora user, Martin McGregor, believes that there are two main reasons for the slight decline in Harry’s popularity. “Firstly, the British media are looking for every opportunity to criticize the Harry and Meghan, especially Meghan,” the historian wrote on the Q&A site.

Another reason, McGregor suspects, is that British fans are probably not too happy that Harry married a non-British. “Secondly, I get a strong feeling that the majority of the British public would rather Harry had married a British women, an English rose, if you like,” he added.

Meanwhile, Melissa Marshall says that the blame is on Harry himself. “Because William wasn’t stupid enough like his brother Harry, who lectured people for months on their individual carbon footprint while flying non stop on private planes,” the Quora user wrote.