This is embarrassing if this is the only thing they’ve got planned for the Invictus Games. The Telegraph dropped this brand new “poll” just as the games were starting: the British public no longer considers Prince Harry to be “royal” or a member of the Windsor clan. What an own-goal by the Windsors and by the British public who took the poll, honestly. At the same time as the Invictus Games – Prince Harry’s signature achievement and an event which sees him praised globally – they’re making a point to say that Harry is persona non grata to the Windsors and to the UK. Sure.
The Duke of Sussex is no longer considered “royal” by a majority of the public, a poll has found. The research by Ipsos found just 21 per cent of Britons think the Duke is more a member of the Royal family than a celebrity. By contrast, 40 per cent of respondents said the Duke was more of a celebrity and 20 per cent said he was both a royal and a celebrity. Out of a sample size of 1,091, 16 per cent said the Duke was neither a royal nor a celebrity, with the remainder saying they did not know.
It comes ahead of the latest iteration of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, the sports competition for wounded service members and veterans, which is taking place in Vancouver, Canada, this week.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left Britain for North America in 2020 when they quit as working members of the Royal family. They have retained the dukedom but no longer use His and Her Royal Highness and the Duke no longer holds any military titles. The couple, who live in Montecito, California, have rarely visited Britain since they left and have only met with other members of the Royal family on rare occasions.
The Duke has returned for private visits and for his legal battle with the publisher of The Sun, which he settled last month. He is thought to have not seen his brother, the Prince of Wales, since the King’s coronation in May 2023, and before that when they met mourners together with their wives after the late Queen’s death in September 2022. Prince Harry is also believed to have not met the King since February last year, soon after his father was diagnosed with cancer.
The poll also found that almost three times as many members of the public viewed the Duke negatively than the Prince of Wales. Just 15 per cent had an unfavourable view of Prince William, compared to 43 per cent who were unfavourable towards Prince Harry. Over half of the respondents viewed Meghan unfavourably at 54 per cent, whereas just 12 per cent saw the Princess of Wales in the same way.
This reads like something being done specifically to placate Prince William, right? “Yes, sir, people think your brother is just a celebrity. Yes, sir, like Kim Kardashian. Sir, you are more popular than your brother, we promise, and Earthshot is so much bigger and keener than Invictus!” And the repetitive details about the last time Harry spoke to William and Charles… I guess they think it reflects badly on Harry, but it doesn’t. It makes Charles and William look cruel, childish, jealous and racist, that they cut off contact with Harry because he chose his wife over them.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
