Queen Elizabeth II remains the most popular public figure three years on from her death — while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are among the least loved royals despite their media blitz.
Prince William is the next highest royal on a chart newly updated by pollsters YouGov that gauges the ‘great British public’s’ approval for well-known figures. The Prince of Wales, 42, is placed at number three.
The heir apparent is ahead of Princess Anne, Catherine, Princess of Wales and King Charles III, who all feature in the top 10.
Queen Camilla, who has been ever-present by her husband’s side through his treatment for cancer, is ranked 15th.
The Duke of Sussex is listed 34th while his wife, Meghan, is at 88, despite the couple’s slew of high-profile media projects and international appearances since parting ways with Buckingham Palace.
Both have dipped in popularity, according to the table.
By contrast, King Charles has had an uptick in favourability, from No10 in the last quarter of 2024 to No6 at present.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who is married to Prince Edward, has leapt from No11 to No7 in the poll, which suggests that even relatively fringe royals are overtaking the Sussexes in the likeability factor.
The Queen was the UK’s longest-serving monarch when she died at Balmoral on September 8, 2022, aged 96.
She had built up an appeal spanning different generations, from her wartime service to appearing alongside a CGI Paddington Bear in a video sketch. She not only heads the list posthumously but is the most popular monarch of all time, according to YouGov.
The King, 76, and the Princess of Wales, 43, have both attracted public sympathy with their cancer battles, during which they have continued with public engagements. The king’s treatment continues while Kate is in remission and is focused on recovery.
By contrast, Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have courted controversy with incendiary claims about Buckingham Palace after leaving the fold in March 2020 to live in the US, with the split becoming known as ‘Megxit’.
Set pieces including the infamous Oprah interview and Harry’s book, Spare, have taken place alongside their media projects, including Meghan’s Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan.
But the combination of personality projects, revelations about their former lives and tie ups with media brands has not washed with those polled.
Harry has a popularity rating of 30% and is disliked by 44% of respondents, with 22% being neutral. Meghan has a popularity of 17% and a dislike rating of 57%, with 21% being neutral.
The couple’s metrics take them close to the most unpopular monarch in history — the famously six-wived Henry VIII.
He is the only ruler for whom a majority of the population (59%) have a negative opinion. Just 17% of Britons have a favourable view of the man who started the English Reformation.
Also in the top 10 are former US president Barack Obama (No2), the late Queen’s second child Princess Anne (No4), Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy (No8), followed by Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and multi-billionaire innovator Bill Gates.
Branding expert Jonathan Gabay’s eye on the royals
King Charles
In the face of illness, he hasn’t flinched.
He’s kept calm, carried on and avoided the circus. Carefully released quotes from Camilla’s press team highlight the King’s relentless energy and strong work ethic – reinforcing the brand of royal resilience in a tough (ish – for him) working world.
Prince William
Prince William isn’t just popular – he’s pivotal.
His appeal cuts across generations. He looks like a future king; more importantly, he acts like one. He’s been brand-cast as open, but not oversharing; present, but never performative.
Technically, in the world of branding, this image crafting is called ‘high-trust leadership’ – and in a world drowning in overexposure, William’s controlled grace is a breath of fresh air.
Harry & Meghan: The Royal rebrand that bombed
Despite the documentaries, the memoirs and the media blitz, for many their brand is in freefall. They’ve confused visibility with value.
The public is tired of the sob stories, the slick edits, the charity gaffs and the personal brand masquerading as public service.
‘Spare’ wasn’t catharsis, it was a score-settling family fist-fight at a wedding or funeral. Meghan’s Netflix cookery show wasn’t charming; it was cringeworthy. Homemade jam in designer kitchens doesn’t land well when half the country’s struggling to heat their flats and pay exploitative rents (let alone ex-Army personnel left wondering what their sacrifice was really about).
MeghanLand is a curated dreamworld where she’s the princess, surrounded by angel dust, and real life never intrudes.
Meanwhile, back in Britain, we’re dealing with food banks, broken systems, bloated energy firms, tax-draining steelworks and flatlining public trust. Their glossy detachment doesn’t look like empowerment – it feels like entitlement.
We want Royals who represent us – not resent us
The great British public isn’t stupid.
We don’t want influencers wearing Harry Winston tiaras. We want dignity. Dedication. A reason to believe.
More than ever, people need some kind of hope.
Elizabeth II understood that. Charles is beginning to. William embodies it. Harry and Meghan? They’re still trying to monetise it.
And the message from the public?
Loud and clear: no thanks.
Milan Dinic, director – content strategy and innovation at the online pollsters, said: ‘YouGov Ratings measures popularity and fame based on millions of responses from the British public.
‘The latest data shows that the late Queen Elizabeth II has remained top of the table for most popular public figures.
‘In fact, the Royal Family is shown to be among the most popular British figures on the list across all age groups, with top 10 placements for King Charles, Prince William, Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.’
YouGov has examined the popularity of royals throughout British history.
In February, 82% of Britons said they had a favourable view of the late Queen, compared to only 8% who had an unfavourable view.
The response made her by far the most popular of the 43 rulers of England and Britain since 1066.
Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk
