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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's accusations of racism at the heart of the royal family were not enough to earn them a place on a list of the "most admired" people in 2021.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Oprah Winfrey interview triggered global headlines and reached almost 50 million viewers around the world within the first two days of broadcast in March 2021.
However big the audience, it was not enough to earn them a spot on pollster YouGov's list of the most admired 20 men and 20 women of 2021.
Only one member of the royal family made the cut, Queen Elizabeth II, who came in third place, two spots behind Michelle Obama and one above Oprah.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were named on Time's list of the most influential people of 2021 but missed out on the top spot to Elon Musk, who was named the magazine's person of the year.
Meghan told Oprah how an unnamed racist royal expressed concern about how dark her unborn child's skin might be.
The duchess also described feeling suicidal while a working royal and said the palace told her she could not go to a psychiatric hospital because it would make the monarchy look bad.
The CBS prime time special triggered a tidal wave of commentary on both sides of the Atlantic but the significant global conversation had an unpredictable effect on public opinion.
Far from winning Britons over to Meghan and Harry's perspective, the U.K. public appeared to turn against the couple who crashed to their lowest ever favorability ratings.
At the same time, other royals appeared broadly unaffected by the allegations against them in the court of public opinion.
The British press launched a predictable counterattack against the couple but months later there were signs the rest of the world may also have moved on.
Prince Charles was accused by his son during the interview of cutting the couple off financially after their royal exit.
However, that did not stop Charles taking center stage at the opening of the COP26 climate change conference when he exchanged warm words with the U.S. president.
Joe Biden told the future king in November: "We need you badly, I am not just saying. You got the whole thing going, that's how it started."
Prince William was also the subject of a People cover story in September proclaiming him the new leader of the monarchy.
Oprah with Meghan and Harry also missed out on an Emmy to Stanley Tucci's Italian food show
Nine months on from broadcast, the U.K. polls still appear to be resolutely behind the royals over Meghan and Harry, although the duke's standing has recovered a little over time.
Quarterly polling by YouGov showed Prince Harry was liked by 36 percent of Britons and disliked by 43 percent, giving him net approval of -7 points in quarter three, between July and September.
Meghan Markle was viewed positively by 28 percent and negatively by 51 percent, giving her a net approval of -23 points.
Queen Elizabeth II was seen favorably by 72 percent and unfavorably by 11 percent, giving her a net approval of +61 percent.
Prince William was liked by 62 percent and disliked by 15 percent, leaving him on +47 points.
Prince Charles was viewed positively by 45 percent and negatively by 24 percent, putting him on +31 points.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more