Harry and Meghan’s UK popularity plummets following Netflix series release

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s popularity in Britain plunged as their Netflix documentary series was released, according to a YouGov poll.

Just one-third of Britons - 33 per cent - now hold a positive view of Prince Harry, while three in five, or 59 per cent, hold a negative opinion of him.

It represents a 13-point drop since November, his joint lowest score since YouGov began tracking royal favourability in 2011.

Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of the public hold a negative opinion of the Duchess, representing a seven-point drop since November.

YouGov polled 1,677 adults between Wednesday and Thursday last week.

The first three episodes of the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, were released last Thursday following a week of debate inspired by the release of two dramatic trailers.

In it, the Duke and Duchess criticise members of their family, including the “formality” of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Royal sources accused the programme of aiming a “direct hit” on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II after the Commonwealth was described as “Empire 2.0”.

One warned it was “deeply offensive” to her memory following decades of work to lead the Commonwealth into a new era.

A trailer for the second half of the series, which will be released on Thursday, suggests that the final three episodes will be far more incendiary as the Duke claims that “they” were happy to lie to protect Prince William but not himself and Meghan.

The trailer does not specify who “they” were, but his words are accompanied by an image of Buckingham Palace.

One version of the trailer carried subtitles suggesting that the Duke had actually accused “the British media” of lying, raising the prospect that his words were edited to remove the context.

Netflix declined to shed any light on the Duke’s comment, while sources close to the Sussexes insisted that all would become clear when the full episodes air.

The lack of clarity, and the suggestion that aides treated them unfairly, is understood to have infuriated palace staff.

Meanwhile, the YouGov poll revealed that the popularity of all members of the Royal family apart from the Duke of York has dipped since the previous survey, which was conducted in November.

Prince Andrew remains the most unpopular royal, with a score of minus 79 points, unchanged since November. A small minority of just seven per cent view him favourably, while 86 per cent hold a negative opinion of him.

Meghan is the second most unpopular with a score of minus 39.

More than eight in ten aged 65 and over say they have a negative opinion of the Duchess, including seven in ten who have a “very negative” opinion.

The Prince and Princess of Wales remain the most popular royals, each of their popularity scores dropping by seven points.

The only age group likely to hold a slightly more positive opinion of Meghan is 18- to 24-year-olds. Two in five young people think positively of her, while a similar amount thinks negatively.

Prince Harry also remains more popular among the younger generations, with half of 18- to 24 year-olds and three-quarters of 25- to 49-year-olds thinking positively of him, and just 29 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, thinking negatively.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are most popular with the older generation. Those aged 65 and over have an overwhelmingly positive view of the pair, with nine in ten holding a positive view of each of them.

Among 18- to 24-year-olds, three in ten think negatively of them. However, overall they are thought of more positively than negatively.

The Princess Royal is the next most popular member of the family, with seven in ten holding her in positive esteem.