A new national poll suggests Australians remain largely unconvinced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, even after their high-profile visit Down Under.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed Australia on Friday, wrapping up a four-day itinerary that included Meghan’s appearance at the Her Best Life luxury wellness retreat, a stop at the Australian War Memorial, and even a cameo on MasterChef Australia.
Yet despite the packed schedule and wall-to-wall attention, new data from Roy Morgan shows the trip did little to win over the public.
The research, based on a survey of 1,767 Australians aged 18 and over, found more than 80 per cent of the population – around 18.1 million people – were aware the couple had been in the country.
But awareness has not translated into admiration.
When asked whether the trip improved their opinion of the pair, just 19 per cent said yes, while a striking 81 per cent said it had not.
A new national poll suggests Australians remain largely unconvinced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, even after their high-profile visit Down Under. (Pictured together at Swinburne University of Technology on April 16)
Similarly, hopes of a royal reconciliation remain slim in the eyes of Australians.
Only 13 per cent believe the visit will help Prince Harry mend ties with King Charles III, compared to 87 per cent who think it will make no difference.
Meghan fared slightly better on a personal level, with one in four respondents saying the trip showed them a more positive side of her.
However, a clear majority said their view of the duchess had not improved.
The question of whether Australians would welcome the couple more permanently revealed a more divided response.
While 41 per cent said they would support Prince Harry and Meghan relocating to Australia, 59 per cent were opposed.
The poll also touched on broader perceptions of the couple’s treatment by the Royal Family.
Around 31 per cent of respondents believe Harry and Meghan have been treated unfairly, though more than two-thirds (69 per cent) disagree.
When asked whether the trip improved their opinion of the pair, just 19 per cent said yes, while a striking 81 per cent said it had not. (Meghan pictured posing for a selfie with a fan at the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne on April 16)
While 41 per cent said they would support Prince Harry and Meghan relocating to Australia, 59 per cent were opposed. (Meghan pictured at the Besties Her Best Life retreat in Sydney on April 17)
Opinion was almost evenly split on how the late Queen Elizabeth II might have viewed the visit.
Just under half (49 per cent) think she would have approved, while 51 per cent believe she would not.
It comes after Meghan received backlash when the outfit she wore to meet survivors of the Bondi terror attack was immediately available for her fans to buy on a website where she is paid a percentage from sales.
Harry is also featured on the OneOff page advertising his wife’s ‘look’ at the Sydney beach, although he is largely covered by links to her $440 blue and white striped Matteau shirt, $139 white ‘sailor jeans’ and $298 Freda Salvador trainers.
Meghan’s $198 Brochu Walker sunglasses and $950 brown suede bag from her Bondi engagement are also being advertised.
Meghan is expected to earn a portion of OneOff’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 per cent to 25 per cent per item sold.
She is also an investor in the AI-powered fashion business.
Critics have said that the decision to advertise the duchess’s ‘look’ on a visit to meet terror attack survivors is ‘the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand’.
It comes after Meghan received backlash when the outfit she wore to meet survivors of the Bondi terror attack was immediately available for her fans to buy on a website where she is paid a percentage from sales
Meghan is expected to earn a portion of OneOff’s sales commission, which ranges from 10 per cent to 25 per cent per item sold
Royal expert Richard Palmer said the sale of her Bondi outfit online reflects badly on the Sussexes – and will worry the Royal Family.
He said: ‘This is perhaps the starkest example yet of Harry and Meghan’s efforts to commercialise their royal brand.
‘I think this will have alarm bells ringing at the palace and may ultimately prompt further discussion about whether there is a need to strip them of their royal titles, now the King has shown it can be done in effect with Andrew.
‘The palace can say it’s nothing to do with the institution because Harry and Meghan aren’t publicly funded members of it – but they are the King’s son and daughter-in-law and any suggestion of cashing in on royal status reflects badly on the monarchy’.
Read the full article here
