The Duke of Sussex saw a huge dive in his popularity when he quit his royal role in 2020, but as he mends his relationship with King Charles, his favourability has seen a gradual increase
Harry’s favourability with Britons has steadily decreased as he continued to level accusations against the Royal Family
Prince Harry has long been seen as one of the most divisive members of the Royal Family. Since leaving his royal post in 2020, when he and Meghan Markle took a step back from the Firm to start a new life in California away from the royal spotlight, the Duke of Sussex’s popularity in the eyes of the British public has drastically decreased.
According to a YouGov survey that was conducted in January 2020, just weeks after the announcement of Harry and Meghan’s change in royal status was announced, Harry saw his favourability rating drop to 55 percent, opposed to the 72 percent he held in November 2019.
In the years following, the UK-based survey site continued to ask the public what they thought of Harry, with his approval rating dropping even further, and reaching an all time low of just 24 percent in January 2023, just weeks after his autobiography Spare was released.
After Harry and Meghan left the Firm, they levelled a series of accusations against the Royal Family, detailing their experiences of strife while serving as senior royals. These public jabs came most notably in their 2021 tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix docuseries in 2022, and Harry’s memoir the following year.
Despite facing a decreased popularity rating over the last six years, Harry’s favourability with the UK public seems to be increasing in recent months, as he works to mend his relationship with the Royal Family, in particular his father King Charles.
YouGov’s most recent poll, which was conducted in July, took place just days after Harry reunited with the monarch in a private meeting at Highgrove. The visit took place when the Duke was in the UK to promote the one year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will take place in Birmingham.
The meeting was also attended by the Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie and Lilibet, marking the first time the King had seen his grandchildren since 2022. No public photos or details of the meeting were released by the Palace.
As a result of the family reunion, Harry’s popularity rating rose from the previous poll, which ran in April. The previous poll showed Harry’s favourability at just 30 percent, while the recent survey shows an increase to 33 percent.
His approval rating has risen steadily by six percent from the May 2025 poll. Despite the boost, 58 percent of respondents still had a negative view of Harry, while nine percent said they didn’t know.
Last week, the Mirror revealed that Harry is hoping to appear publicly with Charles at next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham, with the organisers planning to invite the King to take part in either the opening or closing ceremony as well as visiting a range of sporting events to meet competitors.
If Charles and Harry are seen together on the Invictus stage, the united front is likely to boost his popularity rating even further, although some royal sceptics still believe the Duke should not be involved in any royal matters after he made the decision to quit his birth right duties.
A royal source said of Harry’s Invictus trip: “There’s no doubt he [Harry] enjoyed his time in the UK with his family, especially getting the opportunity to see his father with his wife and children.
“The last few years have been incredibly emotional for him, and now he’s reached a place where he wants to not only visit his home country more, but also would really like to be with his family. If the King were to attend the Invictus Games next year, and appear in public with him, it would be a huge moment for all of them.
“He wants the Birmingham Games to be the best ever, and it would be extra special to have all his family by his side, and that means the King as well. He’s said before that he would like reconciliation with his family, so undoubtedly he’s determined to make things work, and that means not doing anything to jeopardise that.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
