Meghan Markle Comeback Continues

Chief Royal Correspondent

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Meghan Markle's popularity in the United States has spiked as, together with Prince Harry, she moves past a collapse in public opinion.

The Duchess of Sussex's standing with Americans took a knock after her Netflix show premiered in December 2022 and Prince Harry's memoir Spare was released in January 2023. However, the couple has been slowly rebuilding their relationship with the public in the intervening year.

And there are new signs of a thawing in U.S. attitudes toward Meghan after she got a seven-point bounce in her net approval rating, according to quarterly data from YouGov.

A poll of U.S. adults showed she was liked by 38 percent of respondents and disliked by 21 percent in quarter four of 2023, giving her a net approval rating of plus 17. This is compared to plus 10 during July, August and September.

YouGov performs regular surveys to determine the popularity of different people and brands as part of a project it calls YouGov Ratings, with the latest data coming from October, November and December.

Meghan Markle With U.S. Flag — Composite image of an American flag and Meghan Markle in Düsseldorf, Germany, on September 15, 2023. Her U.S. approval rating has gotten a boost, according to polling. Mark Thompson and Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

Prince Harry also got a smaller boost as he was liked by 47 percent and disliked by 21 percent of respondents, giving him a net approval of plus 26—two points higher than in quarter three.

Meghan and Harry's comeback has, however, not come at the detriment of the U.K.-based royals, as Prince William also saw a significant spike in favorability.

The Prince of Wales was liked by 45 percent and disliked by 17 percent of respondents, giving him a net approval rating of plus 28, a seven-point bounce compared to quarter three.

Kate Middleton remained America's favorite living royal as she was liked by 47 percent and disliked by 7 percent of those surveyed, giving her a net approval rating of plus 40, six points higher than in quarter three.

King Charles was liked by 37 percent and disliked by 26 percent of respondents for a net approval rating of plus 11.

The news comes as a boost to the royals at a difficult time with Kate in the hospital recovering from her January 16 abdominal surgery. Prince William will be off work looking after the Princess of Wales and their children and will continue to take time away from royal duties even after she returns home.

Her recovery period is expected to continue until after Easter, spelling quite a few months away for the royal family's most popular living member.

King Charles has also cleared his calendar as he awaits a medical procedure on an enlarged prostate this week. He took the unusual step of announcing his diagnosis to encourage other men with symptoms to seek medical advice.

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

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