King Charles III is taking a silent treatment approach to Prince Harry’s future as part of the royal family, as almost half of the British public said in a recent poll they support stripping Harry’s title.
The poll came after the release of the six-part Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan.” Even though the show was produced to show the couple’s perspective, it appears to have increased public support for the royal family.
Meanwhile, 23% said the six-hour epic, released this month, had made them think worse of Harry and Meghan, opposed to just 7% who said it made them think better of the pair pic.twitter.com/9nUc65RdlP
— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) December 30, 2022
On Friday, the U.K.’s Times published the results of the YouGov survey it commissioned to learn more about public sentiment toward Harry and Meghan. The poll shows that 44% of U.K. adults think Prince Harry should have his title as Duke of Sussex removed. Only 32% believe Harry should retain his title of nobility.
The poll also asked whether those who watched the Netflix show changed their opinions regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The responses indicate that 23% “think worse” of the couple, with only 7% saying they “think better” of them.
After viewing the documentary, only 19% of respondents said they agreed with the statement that “Harry and Meghan deserve an apology from the rest of the royal family,” while 53% said they disagree.
When asked which couple they felt more sympathy for, 17% of respondents chose Harry and Meghan, compared to 44% who said they have more sympathy for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Even with the harsh response in general, a majority of respondents at 51% said they still believe Harry and Meghan should be invited to attend King Charles’ upcoming coronation.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told British reporters that it is very unlikely that King Charles, as a “loving father,” would snub Harry from attending his coronation. She noted that “it’s only five years since Charles was on Radio 4 and called him ‘darling boy’.”
Bond said she could not conceive of Harry not being invited “unless he says something so completely dreadful.”
For his part, King Charles has not spoken out publicly about any of the claims made by Harry and Meghan in the Netflix show.
Royal family historian David Starkey says the king is playing a “clever long game” regarding Harry and Meghan. The monarch did not mention Harry or Meghan in his first Christmas Day speech as king last week. Starkey says the king will “just let events take their course.”
Starkey said that King Charles is wise to ignore the controversy stirred up by Harry and his wife.
He said, “With every passing day, I think with every desperate attempt at taking a little molehill of grievance and trying to turn it into a vast, vast Himalayas of resentment, they become less relevant.”
