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

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

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix series has increased support for Prince William and Kate Middleton, rather than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
• A YouGov poll found that 44% of the British public felt increased sympathy for William and Kate, while only 17% felt sympathy for Harry and Meghan. 
• In other royal news (opens in new tab), Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release new Netflix docuseries ‘inspired by Nelson Mandela’ (opens in new tab)

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 (opens in new tab), 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."

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."

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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