Prince Andrew and Meghan Markle UK’s least favourite royals, says poll

They may no longer be referred to as HRH, but Prince Andrew and Meghan Markle can still claim the titles of being the UK’s least favourite royals, a new poll has found.

According to the recent survey, the disgraced Duke of York, whose car-crash Newsnight interview in now subject to not one but two separate TV dramas, was seen in a negative light by 86 per cent of respondents.

His lowly rank was followed by the Duchess of Sussex, whose new wellness brand is also unlikely to appeal to the 64 per cent of Britons who admitted holding negative views towards her.

Their plunge in popularity comes in stark contrast to the Princess and Prince of Wales who both topped the poll respectively, having earned the nation’s admiration for their bravery in handling Kate’s cancer diagnosis.

Andrew’s lack of popularity follows his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which saw him step away from public duties four years ago.

In January 2022, he was stripped of his HRH title after he was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, a victim of Epstein’s. He has vehemently and continuously denied these claims.

The following month, Andrew reached a multi-million pound out of court settlement with Ms Giuffre, which included damages and a donation to her charity “in support of victims’ rights”.

In a statement confirming the settlement, Andrew said he “regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others”.

The Duchess of Sussex, meanwhile, was deemed the second most unpopular royal. The former actress became a controversial figure after she and her husband Prince Harry chose to leave the Firm, citing allegations of racism from within the family and wider media intrusion.

Harry did not emerge favourably from the poll either with 61 per cent of respondents expressing a negative view of the King’s youngest son.

The Princess of Wales emerged as the UK’s favourite royal, with 76 per cent of respondents admitting they saw her in a positive light.

This comes following the Kate’s recent health struggles which began when she initially stepped back from public duties in January for planned abdominal surgery.

While she was scheduled to return after Easter, last month she revealed she is battling cancer and will not return to her duties until “she is cleared to do so by her medical team.”

Her cancer diagnosis came just months after King Charles’, as announced in February.

The King’s cancer was discovered following a routine procedure to treat an enlarged prostate in January.

He emerged in a mostly favourable light in the poll, with 63 per cent of respondents saying they hold a positive view of the monarch.

The King was beaten in this literal popularity contest by his younger sister, Princess Anne, who 71 per cent of respondents said they saw in a positive light.

The second most popular royal, who was just three per cent less favoured than the Princess of Wales, is Prince William, who was seen positively by 73 per cent of respondents.

The poll comes amid a tumultous time for the Royal family, who have been rocked by the King and Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosises.

This has essentially seen two of the most senior members of the family thrown out of action while their spouses rally to support them and keep up with public duties.

In both cases, the type of cancer and its severity has not been disclosed.

The crisis comes after King Charles revealed plans to slim down the monarchy in a bid to give the British public good value for their money.

Princess Anne said she did not believe this was a ‘good idea’ at the time.

Now there are just nine working royals left - the majority of whom are elderly and unknown.