Meghan Markle has received a major blow as the majority of Brits think it would be better if she did not return to the UK, a new poll has found. The Duchess of Sussex has not set foot in Prince Harry’s home country since 2022, when the couple both travelled back to the UK for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June and her funeral later in September.
Meghan’s possible return has come back into the spotlight this week after the Sussexes’ aides were spotted having a meeting with those of the King in London. The incident sparked discussion and hope that a path to reconciliation could be forged between the two sides in the future.
But a new poll showed that even if the Sussexes somehow manage to mend their tarnished relationship with the royals, a potential return to some royal events with them would not be seen fondly by the public.
A new YouGov poll for The Sunday Times revealed that more than four in 10 (41%) of those polled think that her return would be a bad thing. Just a measly 12% say it would be a good idea, and a further 35% say that they wouldn’t care either way.
Meghan’s popularity further plummets among the over-65s, with more than six in 10 (64%) admitting they are against a return, compared to 17% of those aged between 18 and 24.
Prince Harry holds a more favourable view, with nearly a quarter of those polled (24%) saying that they think it would be a good thing if he came back to the UK, while 22% think it would be a bad thing.
A whopping 41% said they are indifferent. A similar split was seen when people were asked whether the Sussexes should take up royal duties again.
For Harry, 32% said they would welcome such a change, with 27% against. Nearly half of them (48%) were against Meghan taking up royal duties again, with only 14% in favour.
The couple’s biggest blow came from those who think that they should have their titles removed.
Nearly half (48%) of those polled said Harry and Meghan should lose their titles, while only three in 10 (29%) said they think they should retain them.
A 44% said that they think Harry should forgive the Royal Family, while only 12% said he shouldn’t. The majority (45%) said they didn’t know.
Meanwhile, another 40% said the royals should in turn forgive Harry for his previous behaviour, with more than a quarter (26%) being against.