Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the US is rapidly on the decline, according to reports, but they will be reacting to the news in different ways, says a royal expert
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have seen their popularity in the US dwindle in recent months – and they are reacting in different ways, according to a royal expert.
The couple were welcomed with open arms following their decision to move to California after quitting royal life. But their constant criticisms of his family have seen the tide turn. Most recently, Harry faced a major backlash for receiving the Pat Tillman award. The distinction is meant for someone with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that honours the legacy of Pat Tillman, a former NFL player and US Army Ranger who was killed in action in Afghanistan.
According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, Harry’s decision to accept the honour was an “own goal” for the Prince. She told OK: “It might have been wiser either to decline, or to nominate one of his Invictus heroes as a worthy winner. I suppose Americans have now got used to the novelty of having a British prince making his home in their country, and inevitably some of the gloss is wearing off. But Harry remains an immensely likeable man, and I’m sure his personality makes him as popular as ever with people he associates with.
“Fame is often a double edged sword: one minute you are sitting atop a pedestal of adoration, and the next you are unroyally knocked off it. I don’t imagine that Harry takes a great deal of interest in random polls about their popularity… but media savvy Meghan might find it rather harder to swallow.”
Roya Nikkhah and Kate Mansey, two royal editors at The Times, recently spoke on their podcast, The Royals with Roya and Kate, about Harry and Meghan’s latest setbacks. Kate said: “The tide does seem to be turning, you know. Obviously, we’ve had the former Spotify exec come out and say that they were grifters. We’ve had that South Park episode, in which… you know, even worse than being criticised, they were ridiculed.”
She elaborated: “You know, they were prince and princess of Canada on their Worldwide Privacy Tour, and I think that, you know, that… there were reports they were going to sue South Park over that,” reports the Express. “And they said the reports were baseless and boring, which to me just spoke of… you know, they were so angry about the whole thing, that they would come out and say something which then… you know, reignited the whole issue again.” Concluding her point, she remarked: “And, you know, even the Spectator, which previously has been pretty neutral, said, ‘Alas, Harry has become as unloved a figure in the United States as he is in Britain’.”
Harry’s choice to accept the Pat Tillman Award for his work with the Invictus Games was met with criticism, especially since Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, opposed the move. “I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail. “There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans. These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has.”
