Public opinion of Harry and Meghan is the worst it’s ever been after Oprah interview

Public opinion of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has fallen to a record low, with attitudes towards Prince Harry more negative than positive for the first time.

A new YouGov poll, released on Friday, revealed that following the couple’s Oprah Winfrey interview, the couple has fallen very much out of favour with the British public.

It showed that 45 per cent of Britons have a positive opinion of Prince Harry, while 48 per cent regard him negatively, giving a net score -3.

This represents a drop of 15 points from March 2 and marks the first time attitudes have been more negative than positive towards the prince.

Meghan’s scores have also fallen considerably. Only three in ten people said they had a positive opinion of her, while six in ten viewed her negatively. This gave her a net rating of -27, down from -14 a week ago.

The couple’s interview left the Royal Family reeling, with aides locked in crisis talks for two days before the Queen released a statement expressing her sadness over their claims. She also issued a three-line-whip to prevent staff discussing the situation publicly.

In the most damaging claim, Meghan, 39, told Ms Winfrey that when she was pregnant with her son, Archie, “concerns” had been raised with the Duke of Sussex by a member of the family about how dark his skin might be.

The Duchess also revealed she contemplated suicide but was rebuffed when she sought help from the the HR department as she “wasn’t staff”.

The claims have prompted demands in Commonwealth nations to drop the Queen as their head of state.

The Prince of Wales, 72, is the only other member of the Royal Family to see a decline in popularity since the interview, in which his son revealed he had stopped taking his calls when he “took matters into his own hands” and admitted he felt “let down” by his father’s lack of empathy.

Two in five people - 42 per cent- now have a negative opinion of Prince Charles, up from 36 per cent on March 2. Meanwhile, the share who view him favourably has dropped from 57 per cent to 49 per cent.

The Prince is understood to be “deeply concerned” about the racism allegations raised by the Sussexes, and feels “let down” by his son and daughter-in-law, who he has supported “more than he would care to say.”

A source close to him said the “incendiary” interview had caused pain and division and that trust in the couple had been eroded..

Public opinion of the Sussexes has consistently varied across age groups.

A majority of 18-24 year olds - 55 per cent - said they liked Meghan, while only a third - 32 per cent - disliked her.

The same is true of Prince Harry, of whom three in five Britons aged 18 to 24 - 59 per cent - had a positive opinion and only three in ten - 28 per cent - did not.

By contrast, most people aged 65 and older disliked both of them - 69 per cent and 83 per cent respectively.

Britons continue to be most fond of the Queen, with 80 per cent liking her and just 14 per cent feeling otherwise.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also very popular, with three quarters of Britons giving them favourable reviews.

YouGov polled 1,664 GB adults between March 10 and 11.

While there has been much speculation about what the continuing rift means for the monarchy, a separate YouGov poll of 1,672 GB adults between March 8 and 9 suggested public attitudes had not shifted considerably.

Two thirds said Britain should continue to have a monarchy - 63 per cent compared to 67 per cent last October.

Meanwhile a quarter now want an elected head of state, up from a fifth.