Does the UK hate Prince Harry and Meghan? Surveys say “yes”
To those of us stateside, it seems like Prince Harry & Meghan are getting their happy ending. Leaving the royal family as senior members of the Royal Family, the Sussexes are now living in their new home in California. They also secured a sweet Netflix deal which might be able to keep them afloat.
While Americans are happy for Prince Harry & Meghan, Brits take a dimmer view. A YouGov survey interviewed over 2,000 UK subjects about Prince Harry & Meghan’s Netflix deal. A whopping 64% said they weren’t interested in seeing their Netflix show. One commenter even went so far as to write “boycott Netflix.”
So what’s up with the lack of support for the Sussex’s? Are Britons just less enthusiastic about Prince Harry & Meghan’s deal with Netflix, or did the way they left sour the country’s opinion of the royal couple? Let’s take a look.
Megxit
Named after Brexit, the referendum that prompted the UK to leave the European Union, the aptly named Megxit, Prince Harry & Meghan’s departure from the Royal Family, was just as messy & divisive.
Meghan Markle had to make a lot of adjustments to royal life when she married Prince Harry in 2017. Apart from the cultural jump, Meghan had to adjust to the traditions & rules of royalty, which according to sources, didn’t go well.
Staff reported that Meghan was “difficult to work with.” Rumors abounded of a feud brewing between Meghan & Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, her sister-in-law. Press also hounded Meghan relentlessly, apparently prompting her & Prince Harry to leave the limelight.
Champions for diversity
Not all the staff said Meghan was horrible. George Northwood remembered working with Prince Harry & Meghan fondly when they left. He noted on Instagram: “I have enjoyed every minute collaborating with this amazing couple who not only champion small businesses but have taught me so much about diversity, equality, and the importance of good mental health.”
Prince Harry & Meghan’s new Netflix series reflects their dedication to causes. The Sussexes have a contract to produce inspiring content for Netflix, focusing on educational shows and inspiring documentaries. “As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us,” they told The New York Times.
Did Meghan make Prince Harry leave?
The suspicion that Meghan Markle drove Prince Harry away from his family lingers. When the couple stepped down from royal duties in March, tabloids speculated that Meghan Markle’s American upbringing made her a bad fit for the Royal Family. Some Brits believe Meghan also drove Prince Harry away from the family.
Express writer Virginia Blackburn speculated whether Prince Harry really wanted to follow his great-great-uncle Edward VIII’s footsteps (leave royal life for an American), or if Meghan prompted him to leave.
“It’s hard to escape the conclusion that having grown up in a country that considers the Kennedys to be aristocracy, Meghan didn’t understand that being a Windsor is not like being a celebrity,” she wrote. She adds that while Meghan may not have understood what she got herself into, Prince Harry knew the responsibilities. He grew up with them.
Briton’s feelings about Prince Harry & Meghan
Unlike Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth’s uncle who abdicated the throne to marry an American heiress, Prince Harry isn’t stepping away from taking the throne. However, from the sample, Britons are still salty about his departure. The shocker wasn’t just that they left. They announced their departure without Queen Elizabeth II’s blessing.
Although the survey shows that 64% of an over-2,000 sample size doesn’t want to see their Netflix stuff, the UK has a population of over 60 million. Upon Prince Harry & Meghan’s departure, some people wished them well. Others believe Meghan was the Yoko Ono to the Royal Family’s Beatles.
The survey also showed a difference between young and old Brits, with younger Brits more likely to support Prince Harry & Meghan.
