Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and the Royal Family would all benefit if the Sussexes have a quieter 2024 and recent polling proves it.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had an explosive start to this year coming off the back of their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan which was released in December 2022.
The couple’s documentary broke multiple records on the streaming platform and in terms of viewing figures was a huge success.
However, the content received mixed reviews and the Sussexes’ approval ratings nosedived just a month after it was released.
The couple’s documentary broke multiple records on the streaming platform and in terms of viewing figures was a huge success.
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In January, Prince Harry doubled down on the couple’s decision to share intimate behind-the-scenes looks into their lives as he released his autobiography Spare.
The Duke of Sussex promoted his memoir with several TV interviews in the UK and the US that contained scathing attacks on the Royal Family.
The content of his book was also damaging to the monarchy with senior royals Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate heavily criticised in sections of Spare.
Harry’s relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales completely deteriorated following the publication of his autobiography and remains incredibly strained.
The Sussexes who had already seen a large drop in their approval rating in the UK before 2023, had hoped the documentary and autobiography would provide a boost to their popularity in the US, where they have lived for the last three years.
Meghan Markle chose not to attend King Charles’s Coronation in May with reports claiming a factor in her absence was fear of being booed by UK crowds during the landmark event.
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However, on December 5 2022, Harry had an approval rating of 38 while Meghan Markle’s was 23 but by January 2023, the Duke of Sussex’s approval rating stood at -7 and his wife’s had fallen to -13 in polling done in America for US publication Newsweek.
Meghan Markle chose not to attend King Charles’s Coronation in May with reports claiming a factor in her absence was fear of being booed by UK crowds during the landmark event.
Prince Harry attended the ceremony on his own and looked uncomfortable throughout the occasion as he was relegated to the third row in Westminster Abbey alongside other non-working royals including his disgraced uncle Prince Andrew.
The Duke of Sussex has been fighting five separate legal cases in the UK throughout 2023 but overall has had a quieter second half to the year.
Omid Scobie’s royal book Endgame which contained a plethora of savage attacks on the Royal Family was released in November.
Meghan and Harry strongly distanced themselves from the book and despite their known previous connection to the royal author, it appears Endgame has not hurt their popularity in the US.
This month the couple’s approval rating in America has reached its highest point in 2023.
The Duke of Sussex has an approval rating of 29 and the Duchess of Sussex has a score of 15, which remains lower than before the release of their Netflix documentary.
The polling conducted by Redfield & Wilton from a representative sample of 1,500 Americans indicates that less frequent content and content that does not attack the Royal Family is Meghan and Harry’s best route to the popularity they crave in the US.
The Duke of Sussex has an approval rating of 29 and the Duchess of Sussex has a score of 15.
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It seems the couple have noticed this trend as they continue to work on several projects for next year that will look to move their brand further away from the Royal Family.
While the monarchy has remained dignified and continued admirably without addressing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attacks head-on, they would also benefit from a year without bombshell claims directed at senior royals.
As 2023 draws to a close, it is in the best interest of Meghan, Harry and the Royal Family for their public feud to end, even if they have not reconciled privately.
