Harry & Meghan docuseries left the public feeling more sympathy for Prince William and Kate Middleton than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

44% of people want Prince Harry’s title removed

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
(Image credit: JOHN TLUMACKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images and Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala/Future)

A YouGov poll has found that Netflix's docuseries Harry & Meghan left 44% of the British public feeling increased sympathy for Prince William and Kate Middleton, while only 17% felt sympathy for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

In an ironic turn of events, that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could never have predicted, the couple's bombshell six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan, has increased support for Prince William and Kate Middleton, rather than for Harry and Meghan.

In a YouGov poll carried out for The Times, 44% of the British participants said they felt increased sympathy for William and Kate since watching the show, compared with only 17% feeling more sympathy for Harry and Meghan. 

Tom Quinn, author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle, which is available to buy on Amazon now, was unsurprised by the outcome of the poll. He told Mail Online, "I'm only surprised that the documentary didn't do more damage to the Sussexes. I found it painful to watch - it made you realise they are lost souls. 

"I'm not at all surprised that people have more sympathy for the Prince and Princess of Wales because they are doing the classic thing of being stoical. They are not complaining about Harry."

Prince William and Kate Middleton

(Image credit: BRIAN SNYDER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The poll also found that nearly half, 44%, of the British public believe Prince Harry should be stripped of his Duke of Sussex title following the release of Harry & Meghan on Netflix.  

While public opinion appears to be waning, Tom Quinn doubts this will have an impact on the King's decision to strip Harry of his title. He explained, "I think it is unlikely that the King will strip the Duke of Sussex of his title because then it looks like he and Prince William are doing the kind of things Harry and Meghan do."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

(Image credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, 23% of participants said the couple's recent docuseries actually made them think worse of Harry and Meghan, with only 7% of people agreeing that watching the show made them think better of the couple. 

Whatever the public feels about Harry, Meghan, and their docuseries, it has been an undeniable hit. Its debut episode, which was released on December 8th 2022, garnered 4.5 million viewers in its first week on Netflix and the show has since been crowned the most watched subscription TV series of the year.

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News writer

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.