Why Is Meghan Markle’s Popularity Going Down In US?

Meghan Markle's popularity in the United States is believed to be plunging at an alarming rate, an expert has claimed.

Nile Gardiner, a Washington-based foreign policy expert and British royal family enthusiast, told Express, "The popularity of Meghan and Harry in the US has declined significantly over the course of the year, and that will continue to decline. The image of Meghan is plummeting in the US as it is in the UK."

Gardiner also claimed that fans of the Royal Family in the U.S. are "bewildered" as to why Meghan still has her Duchess of Sussex title. "Many Americans are bewildered as to why she is still the Duchess of Sussex when she speaks out so much against the monarchy. There is no good reason she still holds a royal title."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex withdrew from their senior royal working duties when they relocated with their family to Canada, then months later, to California. Meghan, 40, previously alleged that there were "concerns and conversations" from within the Royal Family about the skin tone of son Archie Harrison ahead of his birth in 2019. During the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan also said that since joining the Royal Family, she had been suffering from mental health problems, including having suicidal thoughts.

A week following the controversial tell-all interview, an Economist Survey by YouGov of 1,500 U.S. adults found Meghan had a net favorability of just +15, down from +28 a year earlier, while negative ratings of her rose 10 points to 33%. Meanwhile, the 48% had a "favorable or somewhat favorable" view of Meghan, with 33% had a "very or somewhat unfavorable" view of her.

However, a YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults from May 18 to May 21, 2022, found this had fallen further, with just 45% now having a "favorable or somewhat favorable" view of Meghan. Less than 46% had a "very or somewhat unfavorable" view of her.

Harry and Meghan returned to the United Kingdom in early June to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. They were seen watching Trooping the Colour from the Major General’s Office with other non-working royals. At the Thanksgiving service at St Paul's Catherdral, they were seated away from the senior royals.