Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s attacks on the royal family in their recently released Netflix documentary series have made almost half of the British public think that Prince Harry ought to be stripped of his royal title, a new poll finds.
After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, they made some new and damning accusations about being mistreated by other royals. Among other things, they mentioned the institution not protecting them but going out of its way for Prince William, which further deepened the rift between the couple and Buckingham Palace.
Harry and Meghan spent more time with the rest of the royal family in 2022 than they did the previous year. They visited the UK three times and introduced Lilibet to Queen Elizabeth II before she passed away in September.
Despite the appearance of a seemingly normal royal family, a few weeks later, Netflix released the first part of Prince Harry and Meghan’s documentary. The first episodes did not provide any juicy and controversial accusations by the couple, but a week later, the second part was released, and caused a lot of pushback from viewers and UK residents.
Harry accused Prince William and his press office of trading negative stories about Meghan to the British tabloids to avoid getting bad press for himself and his wife. Harry also said that William screamed and shouted at him at a meeting with the family when he and Meghan chose to leave the UK. Meghan described the royal family as being formal, even inside closed doors.
A survey by YouGov found that 44% of respondents in the UK think Prince Harry’s title should be stripped away, while 32% are against it.
In December, Conservative Member of Parliament Bob Seely said he would propose legislation to strip the Prince of his title. He suggested that he may bring a bill in 2023 that, if passed, would allow Members of Parliament to vote to give the government power to strip the couple of their titles.
According to Seely, the Prince was trash-talking the royal family and attacking some of the UK’s most important institutions.
In the poll, 44% of people said they had more sympathy for William and Kate, with only 17% siding with Harry and Meghan.
About 23% said the Netflix documentary made them think worse about the Duke and Duchess, and 7% said they got a better impression of the couple.
Sixty-five percent said that Harry and Meghan chose to leave the royal family, and 11% believed the couple was forced out.
Fifty-three percent of responders did not think the couple deserved an apology from the royal family for their alleged mistreatment, and less than 20% thought they deserved an apology.
The author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle, Tom Quinn, said he was not surprised people were more sympathetic to William and Kate because they appear classy and stoic instead of complaining.
Quinn said he thought the documentary would do more damage to the Duke and Duchess, and it made him realize they were “lost souls,” but added that it was highly unlikely that King Charles III would strip them of their titles.