Prince Harry has dropped 14 points in his U.S. popularity rating in 2025, bringing the size of his fan base down to its lowest ever level in one particular ratings system.
The Duke of Sussex was liked by 38 percent of Americans and disliked by 21 percent giving him a net approval rating of plus 17, across July, August and September, according to rolling quarterly data from YouGov Ratings.
At the start of the year, Harry was liked by 50 percent of U.S. adults and disliked by 19 percent giving him a net figure of plus 31, or some 14 points higher than the most recent data.
YouGov Ratings uses an unconventional polling methodology, which involves collecting survey responses throughout the year which are then grouped into quarterly results.
While Harry’s net approval rating has been lower before, this is the lowest score he has recorded for the percentage of people who support him using historic YouGov Ratings data online, which tracks back to October 2020.
Why It Matters
Harry and Meghan Markle have been searching for a new direction since they backed away from repeated criticisms of the British Royal Family. That period of their lives came to an end around January 2023 after the release of Harry’s book Spare.
Since then, their professional lives have been less entwined, with both working on solo projects, although both have struggled to forge a successful new relationship with the American public.
What to Know
Meghan’s own U.S. popularity slumped further than Harry’s in the first six months of the year, crashing 18 points and leaving her with a net approval rating of plus four at the start of July.
However, in the latest data she has partially recovered following a surge of support, bringing her back up to plus 15 points, an 11 point bounce.
In other words, Meghan’s trajectory has improved in the late summer and fall compared to Harry’s which is still heading downwards. However, she remains less popular than her husband with the U.S. public overall.
Harry had a busy September in which he returned to Britain and had his first meeting with King Charles III since February 2024, immediately after Charles announced he had been diagnosed with cancer.
That marked a positive moment in the relationship between father and son, and the visit to Britain, during which he stopped at a number of U.K. charities, was regarded as a success in the British media.
Of course, much of the data that contributed to YouGov’s number will have been collected before the visit but, needless to say, if Harry was hoping to see a boost in his popularity in America then he may be somewhat disappointed.
Prince Harry’s Police Security
The other major issue dominating Harry’s year has been his lawsuit against the British Government aimed to getting back his police protection officers during visits to the U.K., without which he says it is not safe for Meghan and his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to return to his homeland.
Harry lost in May, when he gave a major interview to the BBC and took a swipe at his father in the process: “I never asked him to intervene—I asked him to step out of the way and let the experts do their jobs.”
Since then, relations have looked a little better between the two royals though there were some signs of strain back in September when stories began appearing in U.K. newspapers suggesting Harry had found the meeting overly formal and “like an official visit.”
Harry’s spokesperson at the time told Newsweek and other outlets: “Recent reporting of The Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting, is categorically false. The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.
“Presumably, those same sources have also chosen to disclose that gifts were exchanged. While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the Duke and Duchess.”
Beyond the relationship between father and son, the other major PR storm in Harry’s year was the unraveling of his relationship with Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in his mother Princess Diana’s memory that helps children with HIV and Aids in southern Africa.
Harry quit alongside a number of other board members after a dispute with the chair, Sophie Chandauka, who continues to run the organization.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.