Story by Joe Roberts — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s popularity appears to be plummeting in the US following the release of his explosive book. Spare is now the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book, but a new poll suggests the Duke of Sussex is now losing fans across the pond. Harry had a favourability rating of +38 on December 5, before Spare was published, according to a Newsweek survey of 2,000 US voters. The same people were asked for their opinions again on January 16, and Harry’s rating had plunged 45 points to -7. Meghan, who has not joined Harry on his media blitz of interviews, had an approval rating of +23 on December 5. It has now fallen 36 points to -13.
Harry’s popularity among Brits sunk to an all-time low in a YouGov survey that came out the day before Spare hit shelves. Almost two-thirds (64%) of people said they have a negative view of the duke, up from 58% in May, with just a quarter (26%) seeing him in a positive light. His net favourability plunged to -38, while Meghan is even lower at -42.