Meghan Markle's U.K. popularity has slumped so low she is behind rarely reported royal Princess Alexandra, known only to 56 percent of the country.
The Duchess of Sussex was once the royal family's megastar during the months before and after her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
However, Harry and Meghan quit the palace in 2020 following the disintegration of relations with the prince's family and in the midst of a storm of media hostility.
Their standing in Britain then fell steadily, turbo-charged by their Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021 and Harry's tell-all book in 2023.
The latest quarterly data compiled by polling agency YouGov shows the duchess is now 17th on the list of the most popular royal family members based on the size of her fanbase.
Meghan was liked by 23 percent of Brits and known to 99 percent—putting her one place behind Princess Alexandra, who was liked by 25 percent and known to 56 percent.
Prince Harry was one place above Alexandra on 27 percent while both were behind his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew, who were both on 36 percent.
Queen Elizabeth II topped the list two years after her death and was liked by 77 percent, while Princess Kate came second with 73 percent approving of her.
Meghan and Harry have long been controversial figures in Britain and were the subject of critical stories in the British press even when they were working royals and liked by a majority of the country.
In recent years, their support base in Britain has become smaller and smaller, with Newsweek previously reporting on single-digit percentages of the country willing to say they viewed Meghan "very favorably" across the political divide.
Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward and Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, also had more support on 39 percent, as did the Duke and Duchess of Kent, on 41 percent and 39 percent respectively.
YouGov orders its quarterly data based purely on how many people like a public figure, rather than their net approval rating, which also factors in how many people dislike them.
This means Meghan had support from fewer Brits than those above her in the list but she was also more disliked than a number of the royals below her.
For example, Lady Margarite Armstrong Jones, a grandniece of Queen Elizabeth II, had support from 20 percent of Brits, lower than Meghan.
However, she was known to only 46 percent of the country and disliked by just 6 percent. By contrast, Meghan was disliked by 57 percent.
A similar trend can be seen in relation to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who have less support than Meghan but also few critics among a population that largely does not follow them.
Only Prince Andrew had fewer supporters on 14 percent and more critics, at 62 percent, in the YouGov data.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan Markle and 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.
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