Now Americans Think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Should Lose Their Titles

Almost half of Americans believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should be stripped of their royal titles, in a dramatic about-turn on a long-standing controversial subject, exclusive polling for Newsweek shows.

The couple were made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they married in May 2018 and they continue to refer to themselves using the titles, including on their Archewell website.

Calls have been growing in Britain for them to be stripped of the titles in the wake of their royal exit and in light of a major rift between the couple and the wider royal family.

However, as recently as December 5 Americans didn't agree, with 43 percent saying they should keep the titles and 27 percent saying they should lose them.

Those figures have turned upside down in just over a month, with 45 percent now in favor of Harry and Meghan being stripped of their titles, 26 percent opposed and 28 percent responding "don't know," according to the polling by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek.

The swing follows the release of Prince Harry's memoir Spare and his publicity tour around the book, as well as the broadcast of their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, in two parts, on December 8 and 15.

Since then, the world has learned a lot about Prince Harry, and not least of all his frost bitten crown jewels, after he described the memory of his mother wafting back to him as he applied her favored Elizabeth Arden lip cream "down there."

He also revealed his rivalry with Prince William, described Queen Camilla as "dangerous" due to her relationship with the press and revealed that Princess Charlotte cried over her "baggy" flower girl dress before Harry and Meghan's wedding.

Prince Harry told his Netflix show he had offered to give up the titles during emails with the royals about his planned exit sent in early January 2020: "In one of those I said that if it didn't work out we would be willing to relinquish our Sussex titles if need be. That was the plan.

"We thought it would be good to give ourselves some breathing space, but we were also really passionate about continuing our work throughout the Commonwealth supporting the Queen."

The debate about Harry and Meghan's titles has persisted throughout their post-royal lives and reached an early fever pitch in 2020 when they made a series of interventions about that year's presidential election, in which Joe Biden went on to defeat Donald Trump.

At the time, Republican voices backed calls that originated in Britain to strip Harry and Meghan of their duke and duchess titles.

In October, 2020, Congressman Jason Smith, of Missouri, wrote to Britain's ambassador to America calling on Queen Elizabeth II to take the step, though it isn't in fact in the British monarch's power to do so without government involvement.

However, support for such a move remained a minority view for most Americans until now and that comes alongside a broader collapse in Harry and Meghan's U.S. popularity.

There's nothing to suggest King Charles III will take any action to remove the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles from Harry and Meghan.

However, the danger for the couple is that the polling suggests U.S. public opinion may be starting to transform into something closer to the U.K.'s, which has also reached record lows.

Both now have U.S. net approval ratings in negative numbers, despite having been popular among Americans as recently as December 5.

Prince Harry dropped 45 points among U.S. eligible voters, from +38 to -7, while Meghan dropped 36 points, from +23 to -13.

The slump leaves Meghan less well liked in the U.S. than Queen Camilla, despite the fact Harry accused his stepmother of having "sacrificed me on her personal PR altar."

Unpopular in Britain

Their current U.S. approval ratings are still stronger than in Britain where around two thirds of the country currently dislike them.

However, Harry's net approval rating in Britain only sank below -7 after his Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021. In other words, he is now less popular in America then he was in Britain not only as a working royal but also through the whole first year of his post-royal life—even as the likes of Piers Morgan called for him to be stripped of his royal titles.

By April 2021, YouGov reported figures showing that Harry's U.K. net approval rating had slumped to -6, a drop of 18 points compared to his standing with his country on March 1 and 2 that year. The figure was a low for Harry at the time, according to YouGov's tracking data, but it was needless to say one point more popular than Harry is in America in January 2023.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.