For me, the past two years have been a total journey with how I see the British royal family. At one point, I was a fan of the Queen, and maybe I would even defend Prince Charles, William, Kate and the others at times. But the blinders have been stripped away. The Windsors are simply an AWFUL family. They are petty, jealous backstabbers. They are emotionally stunted. They treat each other appallingly. And it all trickles down from Liz of House Petty herself. But I guess British peeps haven’t had that come-to-Jesus moment yet, because the Queen’s poll numbers are still very high. I mean, I guess the headline here is that they’re still doing polling on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, like H&M are ever going to come back to that godforsaken island.
The Queen’s popularity has soared during the coronavirus lockdown, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s public opinion has plummeted, a new poll revealed today. Brits were polled across January, March and October by the YouGov Royal favourability tracker, and found the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are falling out of favour.
When asked if they had a positive opinion of the Queen, 83 per cent of people said they did, which has increased from 79 per cent in March.
Prince William was the second favourite royal, with a 80 per cent positive review, and 76 per cent voted favourably of Kate Middleton – both increased since March.
Meanwhile, public opinion on Meghan and Harry has slipped since they announced they were stepping back as senior royals earlier this year and moving across the pond. Harry had a 71 per cent positive rating in October 2019, but this fell to 55 per cent after his bombshell announcement, with Meghan’s also falling from 55 per cent to 38 per cent. Now 48 per cent of adults have a positive impression of Harry, and 47 per cent have a negative view. The Duchess of Sussex garners a positive response among a third of UK adults (33 per cent) but nearly six in ten (59 per cent) have a negative opinion of her.
This gives her the second lowest score among the entire Royal Family, just above Prince Andrew, who has an 80 per cent negative opinion and measly seven per cent favourability.
Charles’ positive rating hasn’t changed over the course of this year from 59 per cent, but Camilla’s increased slightly to 44 per cent. It was found that 68 per cent of Brits think that Prince William and Kate Middleton will have the most influence over the royal family in the next decade.
Granted, this is just some dumb poll and who really cares. But damn, it really bugs me that A) British people still think they have some claim to the Sussexes and B) British people can’t see the very obvious racist and petty shenanigans with the rest of the family. My opinion of the Queen has never been lower, but yeah, I’m not paying for her petty colonizer ass so I guess I don’t get a say.
Oh, and there’s been some random gossip about the royal Christmas plans – there were people saying that the Queen has already talked about maybe cancelling the trip to church on Christmas day? But the palace spokesperson told the Mail: “It’s too early to be making decisions about Christmas, and it’s all undecided at the moment.” I honestly doubt whether the Queen and the family will even be allowed to go to Sandringham this year for Christmas. They’ll probably have to keep her in Windsor Castle?
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, WENN.
Petty Betty in real life i think has ruined the Crown for me- which stinks, it is a great show.
But the overwhelming classism, racism, narcissism, and nastiness of these people who had the dumb luck to be born rich and bred (let’s face it, inbred) “properly”- is just incredibly unappealing.
Makes me think of an old country song called White Trash with Money.
All I can deduce from this poll is that most people are waiting for the Queen to die and W and K are STILL not that popular despite all the smear and embiggening campaigns.
Well if they mean that British public = regular readers of British Tabloids then it’s not surprising.
British Public = Commentariat of The Daily Fail
Yes, who exactly were they polling? Even though I appreciate that a lot of my insight into the awfulness of their racism and nastiness has come through this site I still can’t believe this is representative of the general public overall.
This opinion is based on the opinion of 1000 people. There are 66M people in the UK. The poll reflects the opinion of less than 1 percent of the population so any shade thrown on this poll’s outcome is just trolling
That’s how polling works. They take a representative sample size of the population. Also, this polling wasn’t conducted by the tabloids, it was conducted by YouGov, which is a member of the British Polling Council.
Now do the poll in Barbados.
Seriously, though, I’d love to see one of these polls with racial demographics. For example, how many POC/immigrants in the country feel positively about Meghan?
This is an example of the inertia of the monarchy. The Queen does basically the same thing all year, every year. Hamster on a wheel. Meghan and Harry broke free of the wheel and the cage.
👆🏽 This. The British media are short sighted. The black and brown UK citizens and the Commonwealth see what is happening. Mark my words, once the Queen dies, the majority of the Commonwealth will dip. By the time William is King, he will only be the King of England and half of his subjects will despise him.
oh snuffles, just seeing this comment, and agree with you on william only ruling over england. the fall of the british empire happened under petty betty.
I think in Canada the numbers would be lower too, though that would probably vary a lot depending on the province (here in Quebec I doubt that her rating would even hit double digits, lol.)
Also, I think it depends on who exactly is answering the poll, how much do they follow ‘royal gossip’ and so on. I know as much as I do about the RF’s shenanigans, racism, and so on because I visit sites like this; if the average Brit doesn’t follow these happenings, maybe they still feel some affection for the queen that the rest of us don’t, because we know better?
That’s totally a Quebec thing. The monarchy tends to be popular or has a positive response rate everywhere else, outside of major cities. I definitely noticed this from moving out of Toronto.
Omg, idiots
As long as Meghan and Harry still use their title, British people will always have claim on them.
If they don’t want to be in that poll, just make it clear that they’re not royal anymore. Just use Harry Windsor and Meghan Markle for their next zoom meeting.
So why aren’t Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie included in these polls?
I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually get there. I’m thinking once this COVID mess is over and Archewell is fully launched and we start getting their Netflix content, Harry will renounce everything, including his place in line.
As Sofia said, why isn’t Beatrice, her sister and their mother included in these polls?
You can always recognize a royalist……always!!!
Diana did not need a title to weave her special magic and Meghan & Harry do not need one either.
Kind of agree.
As a Brit, I think most people don’t care about the royals much at all, beyond the UK tabloids and the Americans, but the Queen is beloved because she’s been on the throne forever, she’s familiar.
Please. They don’t even have working royals Anne, Edward and Sophie polled. This is just to show how well the press’ smear campaign against the Sussexes is working. And the propaganda is very effective. I’d have thought William’s figures would be better truthfully given all the puff pieces.
But these figures aren’t really matched by engagement for videos or viewing figures etc. And I suspect the type that devours tabloids like the Express, Sun etc isn’t necessarily the target market for the Sussexes anyway so..
Not trying to take up for The Slow or The Dim but these two tabloids are neutral on the Sussexes compared to The Daily Fail.
The Sun is absolutely not neutral on the Sussexes. Not with Dan Wootton heading things.
@Becks1 – I see where you are coming from but I 100% believe Dan Wootton would sell out PWT & Top Keen The Zoom Queen or even his own mother if it was in his best interest to do so.
I do not like Dan Wootton one bit but I do not believe he has written all he has written because he has a personal ax to grind with Meghan as Piers “Piss” Morgan does.
I think Wootton has followed a map laid out for him and will continue to follow this map for some pot of gold at the end until it is no longer in his best interest to do as such or sees a bigger pot of gold on another path.
Dan Wootton is a jerk a$$hole for hire whereas Piers “Piss” Morgan is certified and card-carrying unhinged.
Bay oh I think Wootton would sell out PWT. I don’t think he’s at that point yet, but I think if he needed to for clicks and press, or whatever, he would. He’s anti-Sussex and LOATHES the Sussex squad* but that doesn’t mean his alliance with PWT and the top CEO is secure long-term. and I think at some point he’s going to decide to spill what he knows about PWT, because I think he knows quite a bit.
(I actually think his hatred of the Sussex Squad fuels his hatred of Meghan and Harry, which is gross. But his hatred of Meghan in particular is definitely weirdly personal. Not quite Piers Morgan levels, but close. It’s bizarre and disturbing to me.)
@ BAYTAMPABAY-“Top Keen The Zoom Queen” made me chortle & giggle-thanks 💕
I think his hatred for Meghan is because he is in love with Harry. He used to always tweet on how hot Harry is, etc.
Nah hatred for the Sussexes is very personal for the Sun, Express, Mirror AND Fail as they are suing their publishers & access off. From recent stories the Express published poll calling for Meghan’s title to be removed because Meghan “hasn’t done anything to earn it”. I think that Netflix reality show lie was from the Mirror.
The Sun had that front paper claiming Meghan made Kate cry& once had body language expert claim Kate& Meghan couldn’t get on because Meghan is more sexual than introvert Kate. Misogynoir 101. I think Dan Wootton was the one who pushed that tiara tantrum story with an assist from the Times. And he openly retweets one of the biggest Meghan trolls & led the charge on the Vogue issue.
Ginger I wouldn’t be surprised if it was personal with Dan because of a crush. Dan like many of the anti Meghan reporters/columnists had tweets back in the day about how attractive he found Harry.
That’s been an eye opener for me. Had no idea Harry was such a big deal to some until Meghan ‘stole’ him.
I don’t understand why they have to renounce their titles in order to feel free from judgement. Firstly, it won’t help – those who want to judge and hate them will always find a reason to do so. For example: they renounce their titles therefore they disrespect the Queen who gave it to them, and so on.
Secondly, the world is full (maybe I’m exaggerating a bit) of titled people or their descendants who are living and working in spite of being titled.
I feel that renouncing the title means to surrender to this clique – RF, RR, British tabloids and Internet Trolls. Or, and to Republican from US.
So, just no.
Even if they remove the titles, Harry and Meghan will still be trolled. I t hink trolls want Archie taken away from Meghan and Harry going to the UK with Archie to beg to be taken back.
As long as Meghan and Archie are alive the British will never take responsibility of their wrong doing. This family has lied, stolen whitewashed history, raped and killed for everything it has. You can be royalty on this planet or universe with a calcified pineal, zero eumelanin and the inability to photosynthesizes UV rays into energy.Unlike most of these BS web sites some of us are proud of our 3rd eye 👁. Bull💩 is bull💩nothing is stopping the pole shift. Welcome home Nibiru!
It’s been made pretty clear by everyone that they are no longer representing the royal family when they were not allowed to use the term royal. Stripping them of their titles will still not stop the racism thrown their way.
Ummm literally no one I know under age of 65 thinks this. This is some targeted polling
As a Brit I TOTALLY agree with this!
Polls like these (well any poll really) reaches a certain audience. I don’t know how many people took part in it but I don’t think the opinions of a minority (even if 1000s of people took part, until they reach a certain point they are considered a minority compared to 66 million).
There is also the possibility of the same poll being taken more than once by the same person. I have done some of the surveys on line, including some with YouGov and sometimes they farm out polls to other survey sites so I end up taking the same survey more than once. And there is also the possibility that some people sign up under different e-mail addresses to complete a survey more than once. Since the sites are being paid by somebody to do the survey, I wonder if they wouldn’t fake results if paid to do so. I don’t trust polls anymore.
If I’m being honest, I only started paying ANY attention to the royal family because of Diana. I ADORED her, warts and all. I only kept paying attention because I was always curious to see how her boys were doing after they lost their mother and to see what kind of men they would become. I had no opinion or interest in the rest of them.
Harry has grown to embody the best of Diana and Charles and William has grown to embody the worst of them. And I’ve grown to despise the whole archaic institution and genuinely hope for its demise and to be relegated to the history books like the French monarchy.
I only want to follow Harry and Meghan and their family to see how they grow outside of the horrid institution that tried to smother their light.
Perfectly put, Snuffles. I feel exactly the same way!
And me, Snuffles.
@Snuffles To me everything started with Diana, the day l found out she died in a car accident l cried like one member of my family died! And of both of her children l will always favour Harry. What you said is what l feel. Thank you!
I highly doubt Harry is less popular than Camilla. If anything confirms this poll is manipulated it’s that alone.
Camilla is still not popular with everyone to say the least. I doubt Harry is less popular with the public than she is.
WTH has Petty Betty done to earn this rise? She has been a total a$$hole, DEMANDING to go to different castles, making staff have to leave their families/quarantine for weeks just to serve her entitled a$$.
She has spoken out, what…once? Twice? Otherwise, she plays with her horses and her Pedo son and her life is otherwise unchanged (except she can’t go to her various castles at whim).
And WTF have PWBT and Top Keen CEO done other than a few Zooms and about half a dozen UNMASKED visits that put others at risk?? Are they on Zoom every day? Are they WORKING every day with charities, actual WORK that can be accounted for?? No…they are just LWBW (Living While Being White), and apparently, that is enough to stick it to H&M.
FEH… done with the lot of ‘em.
Well said. I don’t get it either. “She has sacrificed her life for her country” according to royalists. How so? What has she truly given up in comfort or privilege? Even the “serving during the war” thing didn’t require her to leave her country or even sleep rough.
It was considered an act of great bravery that the Queen did not flee when London was bombed.
She wasn’t Queen when London was bombed.
Elizabeth and Margaret were almost sent to Canada when the bombings happened in London. They weren’t old enough to make any decisions. So Betty is riding on goodwill her father set up for her.
@(TheOG) Jan90067 I applaud your comment 👏👏👏
@(TheOG) Jan90067 since it is not a meritocracy, they don’t have to earn the admiration of the people. it is freely given and the bar is set so very low for Petty. She needs to keep quiet for as long as possible and keep alive for as long as possible, That’s it. All they need for the queen to do is have a pulse.
Birds of a feather flock together
Erm not this Brit! The RF have shown themselves to be classless, self serving and petty.
+1, me neither! YouGov polls are often total BS, and it’s probably only from less than 1000 people out of 66.6 million so whatever.
My guess is they conducted the poll by calling people who still have landlines. I mean isn’t it a little too perfect that William’s popularity is just above Kate’s?!?!
I hate to admit that this poll numbers might be accurate. I have lots of family in England and they are not tabloid readers, but they no longer fans of Harry & Meghan and say that is the general feeling there. I try and tell them they can still like them, that they were hounded by the media there, treated unfairly etc. but they still are unforgiving. I think the British have lonnnng memories and never forget what they perceive as a slight.
They are not tabloid readers and yet somehow they are no longer fans…….OK!!!! I have a lot of bridges to sell
The tabloid and news culture in the uk are so entangled, that you would have heard the fake stories about Meghan constantly even if you don’t read them. Constant headlines, discussions on tv etc etc.
Jameela Jamil did an excellent deconstruction of the tabloid culture – they constantly write about you to the point where people are just tired of you.
The one white British person I know doesn’t hate Harry or Meghan but she tends to believe a lot of the BS. Basically, she thinks Harry is acting like a big baby and the Meghan would have been liked if she learned how to behave. 🙄 Well, she got an earful from me! I don’t know if it changed her mind though.
But I hate to agree with you, but I do think the smear campaign is working on some level. I don’t think your average citizen has a vitriolic view towards the Sussex’s but they DO feel rejected by them and are bitter about it. And they are buying into the BS that Will and Kate are more “Royal”.
But, whatever, fine by me. Less incentive for Harry and Meghan to return to the institution. The British public can’t have it both ways. I think eventually the British public will move on and leave the Sussex’s alone. Can’t say the same for the British press though. They will forever be angry they lost their golden goose and are stuck with dull ones.
I had an English friend tell me about two weeks ago that the British have nothing against Yanks at all (and very much like Americans) but they do not want a Yank in the BRF acting like a Yank nor would they want a native German in the BRF acting like a native German.
@Bay that’s hilarious considering the Germanic roots of the royal family lol.
And that is why any foreigner marrying into the BRF would have a very hard time. The fact that Meghan isn’t white made it so much worse for her.
I know commentators here are getting up in arms about these polls, but I think we need to contend with the fact that propaganda works. And H&M have been on the receiving end of years of malicious propaganda by the British press.
It is also important to remind those of us who support the Sussexes that they are very popular on a global scale. And leaving the BRF will allow them to leverage this popularity to do the kind of work they are passionate about.
@bay lolz considering the royal family’s strict German Christmas rituals. And that Phillip is also a foreigner.
I have heard the opposite. A lot still like Harry and Meghan and agree with Harry’s decision to step back.
Why weren’t the workhorses of the BRF included in the poll? I understand Anne and Sophie both work twice and hard as W&K put together. How’d W&K leapfrog over them?
Sad that their contributions to that family go unrecognized and are attributed to others.
H&M don’t need the British public love. They don’t even live on that racist island anymore, H&M are popular and most of the world love them even though the smear campaign they were subjected to.And if the British public hate H&M too much, I hope they would be honest with themselves and leave H&M alone and focus on their racist members of RF.
What I do not get is that the “British Public” based on the tabloids seems to dislike the Sussexes in one breath yet say they want them to come back to the UK in the next breath.
They secretly only want Harry back and only if he comes to heel and grovels for forgiveness.
@Snuffles – well, we definitely saw that in the Ingrid Seward post, didn’t we. It’s not even so secret anymore.
Are these Royal Commentators so unhinged that they really believe Harry will come back groveling to a situation he has wanted to escape and leave since his mother’s death?
Thx vm @Oh………why don’t they ignore H&M then? my goodness, I am sure H&M wish that the British attention is redirected to W&K. W&K even want that; can they please focus on the F, FF, FFF and their consorts?
“Thx vm @Oh………why don’t they ignore H&M then?”
Click$ for revenue$.
H&M don’t need the British public’s love. True. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hurtful to them Though, that the British public were successfully poisoned against them, Harry especially, as it’s is home. They loved him at one point. It is only human that it would be something that bothers him. I think we all are affected by rejection, Meghan’s hurt (less so than Harry’s) will come from knowing an entire country simply came to hate her, and her son (since they didn’t speak up to protect him when he was in utero ) bc of racism and xenophobia rooted from Harry’s own family and the institutions’ employees.
It is wholly shortsighted to day they don’t care. It’s not that they’re pressed about it, which comes from a matter of acceptance, but to say they’re unbothered is a mistake. Anyone would care. Especially Harry.
I disagree. I think in the beginning Harry cared and Meghan probably cared for Harry’s sake and it was like you said, rejection hurt, but only in the beginning. Now though, I think they’ve moved beyond it and the more the BM, BRF, British Government and the British people insist on letting their displeasure known, the less H/M care. What this constant attacking is doing is convincing H/M they made the right decision and likely made them indifferent to the constant attack.
Obviously none of us know how H/M truly feel and can really only go by what they say and how they seem. Every time I see them now, they look and sound more assured than when in England, or the first few sightings. Also, I go by how I deal with these things and no it’s not on the scale as theirs, but when someone I care about has wronged me, I hurt at first, but in time their continued attempts to hurt me fail as I become indifferent. I truly believe at this point, H/M are indifferent to the entire ordeal and are just wanting to get on with their life.
@Oh☝️This!
@Oh👆This!
Who the hell are they asking? Elderly lower middle class people who live in small towns?
Most people I know here have a grudging tolerance for the Queen and think the monarchy is ridiculous and outdated. I hope for real change once she dies (won’t happen though).
@Kittylouise, I agree and thought the same – who are they asking???? One thing I learned in grad school – numbers can be used to prove what ever you want. It’s the audience that reads the numbers who need to be savvy and ask the right questions.
Right, you just know that they weren’t going around polling Scottish people from the way the numbers are split, lmao.
If they can survive Diana, they can survive anything.
I wouldn’t be too sure have that. Times have changed and as we are witnessing, the old tricks aren’t quite doing it anymore.
I don’t think they will ever “survive” Diana, they behaved badly with her and have not learned a thing. And I notice how the Queen is protecting Andrew and throwing other members of her family under a bus to deflect from the scandal of Andrew. They will never change. Harry and Meghan are smart enough to get away from the toxicity.
They barely survived Diana. It was the closest the monarchy got to being abolished in modern times and a 20+ year PR campaign to make the BRF better again was implemented and is STILL on going for certain members
Covering for a pedo is going to end it. Andrew should be in jail and he’s done far worse than Diana ever could. The Queen is protecting a rapist of underaged girls and only the most insane royalist thinks that is ok. It goes to her judgment and has definitely reduced the support she used to have. She can’t be a sweet old granny if she’s protecting a rapist. And if she’s not consciously doing it, then the alternative is that she has lost her mental faculties. Neither option bodes well.
The Queen is such a MOM for protecting her pedo so and his privileges including taxpayer funded security. 😍
That’s the royalist position. They know these people ain’t shit. But the titles and tiaras and wealth and white supremacy! 😍
It’s almost like – now hear me out, I know this sounds crazy – but its ALMOST like there’s been a targeted smear campaign aimed at Harry and Meghan, especially Meghan, for the past two years, with the main purpose of damaging their popularity!
It’s kind of appalling to realize that it was successful even on this level.
I know we keep saying this, but things are definitely going to change once the Queen passes. She gets high marks for “duty” and being the daughter of the king and queen during World War II and just living a long life. People like her because she’s a constant. They don’t think too much about her, IMO. You can tell bc if they did, her popularity would plummet. For example, see on Twitter etc the criticism about H&M’s California mansion, which you can usually silence by pointing out the Queen’s various palaces. You don’t necessarily convince anyone, but you can shut them up. I think people ignore that – her palaces, her jewels, her land, her money – because she’s THE QUEEN and has been the queen for the entire life of a large portion of the UK population, and she WORKS SO HARD (depends on your definition of work, I guess), etc.
I think the public will look a lot differently at Charles and Camilla. And I think the press will for sure treat them differently, so things are going to get a little bumpy for the royals. Even with William and Kate – I think they’re largely so popular now bc they fly under the radar (i.e. they’re boring) and they have cute kids. in 10 years (max) when William is Duke of Cornwall they wont be able to fly under the radar as well and the kids will be teenagers, so trotting them out for photo ops wont be as effective. And William will be compared to his father, a very effective Prince of Wales. So, like I said, it will be interesting to see what happens.
I tend to think Camilla will reduce her duties or perhaps retire, she has not been in the best of health and has cut short tours. So the focus perhaps will be on Charles and I hope he does not showcase Kate by making her “official hostess”. I sort of doubt it though.
I do think Camilla will drastically cut down on her duties and focus on events in London – I don’t think Kate will be the “official hostess,” I think that will be Camilla, but I think that will be her primary function (state dinners, diplomatic receptions, that kind of stuff). I think we will see a lot less travel from her overall, even within the UK (at first I think there will be a good deal of UK travel at least but I think that will die down very quickly for her).
Also agree with your below comment about William as PoW. Charles, for all his faults, has been a pretty good PoW and has made good use of his “time” waiting to be king. I don’t think William will be the same at all.
I think there will be fewer royal tours in general, especially for William and Kate. They can claim “bust with kids and school,” but it will be hard to justify the expense of royal tours with Brexit, and they run the risk of losing attention to whatever the Sussexes are up to. Plus, they would have the “we kicked out the POC royal” spectre hanging over any visit they make to a non-white majority country. My guess is Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe only for royal tours in the future.
I think Charles innovations and his projects will fall by the wayside when William gets to be Prince of Wales.
“I think people ignore that – her palaces, her jewels, her land, her money – because she’s THE QUEEN”
Please hold my hand and walk with me on this one….According to Lady Colin Campbell in her latest book, the UK public ignores all QEII has as it is not really hers and 90% of what she has will pass on her death to the next monarch whoever that me be. This is English Heritage not private wealth. The line of those who ignore the wealth & chattels QEII has say QEII is only custodian of all she has for her lifetime. The same line may be said about Highgrove as it is owned by The Duchy of Cornwall for the benefit of the Prince Wales whomever that may be at any given time.
On the other hand, Harry and Meghan have left the heritage of the BRF to pursue private wealth in an American Hollywood manner on a scale not available to the average UK subject to pursue, according to UK subjects really & truly upset about Sussexit.
I do not agree with nor subscribe to the theory of Lady Colin Campbell written above and can punch many holes in it large enough to drive a truck through but I do believe this is why many in the UK ignore the great wealth & chattels QEII, the POW and the Cambridges have, possess and/or control.
@bay that may be how they get around the hypocrisy, because the truth is the Queen has enormous personal wealth. A good deal of the jewels she wears, for example, belong to her personally, and she can pass them on to whom she wants.
But even by the logic you describe, as a UK citizen, wouldn’t you rather see someone earn their wealth than just enjoy wealth beyond what you can ever hope to earn just by virtue of birth? It would bother me to think “well the Queen has all this luxury and wealth but its not REALLY hers, it will go to Charles someday.”
But maybe its kind of like the Usual Suspects – the greatest trick the devil pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. The greatest trick the BRF has pulled is convincing the public they’re just public servants and just ignore the gold piano in the corner.
@BTB Alas, the theory is pretty much on the nose: my fellow countrymen and -women who care about the Royal Family (and, unlike me, do not call for a Republic due to Old Brenda’s shameless cover of her vile rapist son) see the Crown and its vast wealth as ‘held in trust’ for the nation. Brenda does not participate in this wealth, they believe, and much is made of her ‘frugal’ living (using a meagre three bar fire for heating is oft-cited). They truly believe – and argue – that Brenda’s life has been one of unsullied devotion in which she has given up any claim to freedom of will, conscience, movement and personal life for the nation; that she has sacrificed her entire being to serve her country. The ponies and daily helpings of Loch Duart salmon and asparagus are seen as part of her clean diet and pure way of living.
Meghan and Harry’s decamping to America and making their own way is seen as ineffably vulgar. Inherited wealth is seen as noble. To make one’s own money marks one out as one of the working class; to do it on a large scale and be publicly recognised for it ‘smells of the shop’, as Georgette Heyer would say. It’s shunned. And the disparity between H&M and, say, Zara? H&M had a ‘chance to serve’. They turned down this honour. The British Public therefore feels abandoned and resents them for renouncing their privilege.
I cannot state strongly enough how everything in the UK is predicated on class. It is the origin of the viciousness and vitriol against dear Meghan. Because she worked hard, is middle class and American; does not behave like a ‘lady’ in the approved British style; and is mixed-race, which the UK associates with the working classes (our immigrants in the C20th tended to be working class, which receives automatic disdain from the worst of the classes, the lower middle who monitor others’ manners ceaselessly, and from the middle classes) she never had a chance. She was expected to be demure and trembling with awe when offered such an ‘honour’, and was also expected to know her place socially. Because she did not, my ever so lovely country sneered ‘who the hell does she think she is?’
Class. It ALL comes down to class. And as the very top of the social echelon, the Queen is a peerless nonpareil.
@Becks1 – Of course I would rather see anyone (such as Mike & Zara Tindall or princess Eugenie) earn there own way. I only wrote out the theory above because it is the only plausible explanation I have read for why many UK citizens accept all the lazy Cambridges have and consume but disdain the Sussexes for wanting to be financially independent of The Crown and/ or BRF.
If the Queen is perceived to be frugal, that will become an issue with Kate and her non stop shopping. The queen is an old lady and wears dresses that are made for her and not obvious designer items. Camilla also doesn’t dress very ostentatiously. The problem with Kate is that she spends a lot of obvious money even if the tabloids stopped counting it. There were some complaints about Diana doing this, but once she left it wasn’t a focus.
Also to the issue of class, Kate isn’t a part of that club either, so with Meghan out of the picture, there will be more focus on her roots, especially because Carole doesn’t stay in the background at all. She is likely to be worse once her daughter becomes PoW. The Tatler article was another reminder that Kate is still not accepted by the toffs and probably never will be.
“The Tatler article was another reminder that Kate is still not accepted by the toffs and probably never will be.”
Not if ‘Rose Who?” has any say in the matter.
@ Andrew’s Nemesis~~BRAVO on your explanation of CLASS! This old fart American can finally have a sliver of understanding of this strange and unfathomable concept 💕💕
No they ignore it because they are racist, Classist and xenophobic and the thought of Meghan having nice things including a Prince keeps them up at night. Doesn’t matter how they attempt to justify it, but at the end of the day, Meghan is not white and they can’t get over it. Harry and Meghan can’t take their wealth when they go either, everyone has to pass on whatever they accumulate in this life to the next generation, charities whatever. The Queen living in palaces and grand homes all over England and Scotland doesn’t bother the Brits because she’s white.
@Andrew’s Nemesis, I wish I could upvote, like, award your comment somehow. Your explanation of class in Britain is BANG on the money, particularly the way in which class and racism in particular intersect with each other. Racism can also be a class issue. It absolutely is in Britain. Add to that the fact that Meghan is American, and the absolute lunacy was off the charts. She really got to the core of the most self-conscious parts of British identity. She was royalty without any of the trappings that people associate with the role. She demonstrated how dumb and useless it all was, and in turn, she exposed a fragility within the British identity that no one wanted to talk about–what IS British society without the class system? And is anyone prepared to find out?
@Nic919, you’re a lot more optimistic with the press than I am. From what I’ve gathered so far, the press will snark, but they don’t do much in terms of actual criticism of Kate. The Tatler article was hilarious, but it didn’t move the needle either way. It served its purpose for the audience it was intended for, which is the aristocrats, not the rest of Britain. They’ve aligned themselves with Kate as their white savior Queen bc she stays quiet and doesn’t tell anyone things they don’t like to hear, like, “Don’t be racist,” and “Be nice to people.” She’ll likely come in for *less* criticism if she’s Queen, not more. I’m honestly not hopeful that anything is going to happen in terms of real change with even William.
It doesn’t sound crazy – it sounds exactly as it is. There is targeted smear campaign against Meghan and Harry. Intensive brainwashing, and it’s working. Sadly.
And this smear campaign continues. Very carefully chosen words in every headline, very carefully and precisely chosen topics. One can write a dissertation about the very skillful ways British yellow press destroyed the characters of H&M.
I doubt we’d know some day all the reasons for this, but it’s unusual in its scale and purposefulness.
@Gina – lol, to be clear, my opening sentence was TIC. It’s not crazy bc that’s exactly what happened, and it worked. The scale and purposefulness, as you put it, are disturbing.
@Gina…you are absolutely correct. The BRF’s sole intension is to survive at all cost. That cost is Harry and Meghan’s reputation because that ultimately benefits the family. The more people hate Meghan and Harry the more they love Kate and William especially if the narrative is framed in a way to make William and Kate the true representation of what it means to be “royal”.
It also seems to me that it has not been considered that the vitriol being sent their way could result in them being injured or even killed.
Or maybe it has but…the family must survive at all cost….makes me wonder about the conspiracy theories about Diana…which I used to dismiss.
What they have not considered is how they are alienating certain people…or maybe they don’t care.
so last weekend I watched Young Victoria on Netflix and it sent me down the rabbit hole. I went back and read through the passage of English/UK monarchs since Alfred, studying how it was passed down. One thing is crystal clear to me. The monarchy is not going anywhere. The British will cling to their Crown and Scepter, and the only way I can see them giving it up is by revolution, and that ain’t happening anytime soon. William will have to do something really horrific for that to happen. Heck, if it survived the monarchs like Richard III and Charles I and they sat back and allowed Henry VIII to behead his wives and wave bye bye to the pope, and do nothing, then it tells me all I need to know about the heart and soul of the land. they are extremely proud of tradition, and their whole aim is the continuity of this archaic institution to the detriment of all else. The protection is given to the monarch and the heirs and to hell with the rest.
Oh I don’t think the crown is going to crumble under Charles or William. I do think the press approach towards the royal family is going to change and who is popular today may not be so popular in 10 to 15 years.
but Becks1 history has shown that even through the most tumultuous times, in the end it perseveres. all it takes is a wedding, a baby, a girlfriend or a boyfriend and the fickle public is pacified.
I’m not saying it’s not going to persevere, I specifically said that I don’t think the crown is going to crumble under Charles or William. I do think the press approach is going to be different and it will be interesting to see the fallout from that. It will be interesting to see if Charles has an 83% approval rating in 10-20 years, or if William does.
I think they will pay a good PR firm to reform their image and they will rise.
PR cannot control for social media and a global audience. Billy’s peccadillos will come out eventually and even if it’s an Australian paper that does this, it will spread. The difference in the past was that media in the UK could be controlled and that was good enough. It won’t be. Not in a post Brexit world where severe cuts happen.
They may not end the monarchy, but they will likely control its expenses far more, as is done in other European monarchies. There is unlikely to be anyone beyond the monarch and immediate family having the paid lifestyle. The queen has been excessive in that regard and Harry leaving has opened up a large crack. If he can work then why can’t the others.
So what if people in Britain don’t like them? H&M surely don’t care, they are going about their business, and they are not funded by the British taxpayer anymore so it doesn’t matter either way in any material sense. So I don’t think their fans should really be bothered by this either? (particularly the not-British ones). Giant shrug.
Edited to add: Glad to see very low approval for Andrew though!
I think Harry and Meghan still care about the UK, the people, and the organizations they worked with, even the monarchy, but at the same time, it just wasn’t sustainable to stay within the institution and have constant sustained attacks on your family, your personhood and everything you do, and say. I hate the simplistic takes that they don’t care. As mentioned in articles about their last appearances, they were proud to serve the Queen and it was obvious they loved the work they did with the public and their charities. It was the press and the palace that decided they had to go and that they were taking from the taxpayers, and attacked and smeared Meghan. There is this twisted notion of sacrifice and duty that one must completely renounce who one is in the name of duty, but how can you do that if you barely are in the institution and country before they try to drive you out, without any defense or protection. The UK public can feel the way they feel, but they are being delusional if they think H and M being gone has nothing to do with them. People know.
I think there is a history in England of sacrificing all, including your family, for the crown, for duty, for your country, for your county, for your regiment, for your school and for your family estate. From all the English history I have read, this seems to be the mark the true benchmark of aristocratic gentlemen and the women who choose to support them.
However, my take may be completely wrong.
@BTB, in the case of Meghan, it seems to be less about sacrifice and more about payback. You may take our prince and outshine those above you, but we’ll make sure you give your pound of flesh in order to do it. I think this notion of duty and sacrifice is part of the WWII myth making, but also a shield for what in normal circumstances would be unacceptable and dysfunctional behavior. It’s used to cover accountability. Treat this person this poorly and they have to take it for the sake of the heirs. From my observation, the only royal they have demanded any accountability and sacrifice from is Rachel Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for staying with her. The others they cover for and continue to do so. They grumble a bit but nothing will change.
Who are the 7% that view Andrew favorably?
Other Pedos and Rapists make up that 7%
So many of you dislike Britain “the godforsaken Island”, and the British people, think that the Queen is awful as are most of the BRF, also they are dull and not interesting at all (except for H&M), have no desire or intention of visiting as a tourist even, think that the British public opinion is largely irrelevant to a global power couple like H&M, so why do you care what these awful people think about anything at all?
Because they keep coming after Harry and Meghan, that’s why. Leave them alone and we will wash our hands of the rest of the royals and the British media.
The British public is not coming after them. And even if they were, it’s just a bunch of racists on a little racist island, who cares? H&M don’t seem to.
I read the comments attached to Sussex articles in The Daily Fail on a regular basis to see what people are thinking & saying. I am angered to see a fellow Yank so happily and engagingly vilified with outrights lies and verbally violent racist slanders.
Because racism is everyone’s problem, not just “a bunch of racists on a little racist island.”
It is what it is. They’ll never be forgiven for this decision but this isn’t a decision that requires forgiveness. They didn’t step back to be popular and this is a difficult year. Although why they are polling on non- working royals who don’t even live in the country makes no sense. I’ll say this, when people walk away from a situation they find untenable, those they left behind rarely have good wishes toward them. They are no longer public figures, so how much longer will they be included in these polls?
@vanessa Your list included more than the general British public. I’m mainly referring to the The Firm, the British media and to staunch royalists.
There is a lot to love about the UK that has nothing to do with the monarchy. I love just about everything in the UK entertainment scene from the actors to the musicians. The TV, film and music is top notch. I even follow a few British YouTube-ers.
But, I’m sorry to say, with how your monarchy, current government and British press are behaving, the UK has an image problem (I’m seeing FAR too many similarities with the US and Trumpers). And I’m not going to pretend I’m cool with that.
@Snuffles, gotcha. I think you’re being fair in saying there’s a lot to like about the UK that has nothing to do with the monarchy. Although I do see people saying they’d never visit again because of the BRF’s behaviour. And that’s fine. But then why be bothered by a poll on British public opinion? (not asking you specifically)
I totally agree with your last paragraph btw. That’s how I feel about America right now, a country I spent some formative years in. I might even say I wouldn’t visit right now, but I’d never write off the whole country and the many Americans I count as friends.
@Vanessa Judging by comments on the Daily Fail it’s clear the hate toward H&M has brought MAGA’s and Brexiters closer together.
Lol, sure this is legit. The results are predetermined results even if no one voted.
Just another excuse to write about the royal superstars Harry and Meghan.
I’d bet these are the same folks who are against poor kids getting meals.
My mom is from a commonwealth country and she LOVES the queen. I think it has to do with more of a reverence for tradition, but it’s always irked me. Maybe years ago when the queen mostly kept to herself – fine. But not after all the messiness and pettiness she’s gotten herself into since MM came into the picture.
Having lived in the UK, I can see how this poll might be accurate. The Brits are all about tradition and don’t really question it. You do things “because that’s the way it’s always been done.” And that put together with the liklihood that most dont care about the royals, I can see why they are so popular. It’s a mix of not following, therefore not seeing the bad behavior and tradition
I would like to know the demographics on this poll.
Like it or not the BRF and BM have given the UK a black eye. Charles sucked up to the press and a lot of good it did him. Camilla is still thought of poorly. Billy knows if his wandering scepter and Rose trimming iare exposed the only throne he’ll sit on is the one that flushes. Andrew’s mess will ruin the whole royal house. Karma is coming for the Windsors.
OMG who cares what those people on an Island think about Meghan and Harry? Do you see this opinion impacting any feelings about them globally? If anything its the opposite – respected and popular because they have shown principles and steadfastness to their own values and code. Even people who don’t cwre respect that stance. The royals on the other hand bar the Queen get absolutely no traction, interest or love with the majority.
So why would the opinion of one small island outweigh a whole world? It wouldn’t and doesn’t.
But the English do care which is why they keep talking about them and including them in polls. I’m sure Meghan (and me) truly wishes they never mention her name again.
I see 2 different narratives forming. Outside of the UK I see Harry and Meghan becoming international philanthropists and future TV and movie producers. Inside the UK, it’s all about how Harry has betrayed the family and abandoned England. And how Will and Kate are the better royals.
As far as I’m concerned, the UK can have their archaic system, the rest of the world will have Harry and Meghan. But the British press won’t let up because they DESPERATELY want their cash cow back and seem to believe that this “one year review” is still in play.
Trust me, it’s NOT as far as Harry and Meghan are concerned. Harry never wanted it but the Queen and Charles insisted because they were convinced Harry couldn’t survive outside of The Firm and would come crawling back.
But between the new house, the Netflix deal and setting up their foundation in LA, it’s obvious to most people that Harry isn’t coming back into the fold and has settled in quite nicely in California.
Now the evil trolls are wishing divorce and death on him as if that will make him come back and be their dancing puppet. It’s SICK and I’m not going to tolerate it.
“because they DESPERATELY want their cash cow back and seem to believe that this “one year review” is still in play.”
I really wonder what the British Tabloid Media thinks is going to happen at this “one year review”. I have a prediction for the British Tabloid Media: I do not think Harry and/ or Meghan will even bother showing up for the scheduled meeting no matter whether the meeting is to take place in person or by Zoom.
Then again, it would be funny if Meghan & Harry showed up at the meeting with the only purpose to inform the BRF that Meghan was pregnant with second child to see how long it took for the tidbit to get leaked to Dan Wootton.
But M&H are royals though right? So their name is justified in the poll. They style themselves as Duke and Duchess of Sussex, titles bestowed by an institution that is oppressive.
How is she slightly above Andrew? What a BS poll
Sure jan🙄how pathetic. If I was inside the palace I’d be embarrassed by this little stunt. It’s pretty clear that they surveyed a select group of brexiteer/white nationalists daily fail users.
If you need proof that this is FAKE just google how many articles PER DAY the sussexs get even whilst not active vs the keenbridges, Betty and chuck. Or look at how little clicks Billy’s tedtalk got vs harry and meghan’s chat with Malala. I mean the teenagertalk audio alone now has MILLIONS in YouTube not to mention the almost 2million who listened to spotify..etc poor losers can only commission fake surveys and collude with uk tabloids to give them a good coverage. What a sad life
It really should be worrisome to Clarence House that after 2 decades of their attempts to get people.to accept Camilla and her marriage to Charles Brits apparently still have a better opinion of Harry, who literally left the country, than her their next Queen (consort). And the fact that Harry is only 10 points behind Charles who is the next king while Charles is 20 points behind the current monarch and his heir should also keep them up at night and it is what they deserve. Harry was insanely popular before he left and could have been an asset to Charles but Charles didn’t do the right thing so he has to lay in the bed he made.
As far as H&M goes: they’re not public servants anymore so their favorability numbers in the uk don’t matter(though it’s amazing that harry is barely underwater with the hatchet job the press has done on him); all that matters is the level of interest, clicks, and searches and they’re still cleaning house with that. I mean 1 million prople watched their teenager therapy podcast in just a few days, amazingly the level interest around them hasnt really wavered too much even with a lot less leaks and gossip coming out about them and no discussion from them on their exit.
So the queen who just got a government bailout because of COVID – the same government who just voted to let poor kids starve over the half term holiday by not extending free school meals – is still popular? Ha. Seriously, what has she done for her people during this time of crisis other than whine that she can’t have her usual holiday because the staff won’t isolate?
I suppose we will never see the demographics of the respondents. My guess is….Daily Fail readership? Anyway, glad they are happy with Normal Bill and Katie Keen bc they are stuck with them and it’s okay that they don’t like Harry and Meghan anymore. The US loves Harry and Megs and we’re happy they’re here!
I’m sorry for the British folks who understand what has happened within the BRF; this must be very frustrating for them.
Their approval rating in polling in the US is about the same. It breaks along political fault lines like everything else these days.
polls are polls. snapshots in time. i leave to w&k to celebrate their result here and hope it inspires them to be more authentic and productive. my interest is in the projects and well being of Harry Meghan Archie and Archwell and polls wont affect my suppirt onw bit. Sussex Successes all the way.
Well, what I found interesting is how much Michelle Obama to say in her book in terms of her admiration and respect for the Queen …I appreciate this doesnt fit in with the negative narrative here .I am going with Michelle though , she ‘ s actually met the Queen.
Like most people there’s things to admire about the Queen. But Michelle also speaks warmly of George W Bush, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a war monger. The Queen’s own relatives, in laws and staff have briefed of her coldness. As the Queen probably reminds many of their grandmother it will be hard to get more balanced analysis of her until few years after she’s passed.
Whilst I personally think Charles has had more positive direct impact because of the people& orgs who have benefited from the Princes Trust etc& I don’t think the Queen is much of a leader, i do think the Queen has expended the royal duties she’s asked to do exceptionally. Whether it’s hosting all types of leaders incl dictators or giving a speech on coronavirus- she’s very steadfast and executes what’s she’s told to do well.
She’s usually hard to discern which the press love because they can project emotions on her but my favourite moments of hers are when she actually shows emotion or personality eg going along with the Bond moment at the Olympics, the Invictus call with Harry& the Obamas, embracing Michelle, selfie bombing a member of public etc. I also never found her more relatable then when she was so visibly unimpressed at the Millennium Dome with the Blairs or understandably tearful at her sisters funeral & at a Remembrance Day service.
This was before Michelle Obama and all of Black America watched as a Bi-racial Black American woman was eviscerated by the British Media while the Queen and the remaining royals stood quietly by and watched and possibly participated. I wouldn’t be surprised if people like the Obama’s don’t have the low down on what happened. H/M may never tell the world their story, but you can be sure certain influential people in a certain circle knows the truth from the horses mouth.
Michelle Obama is very diplomatic and often when she speaks of anyone puts forth the best of what she witnessed in them, see Bush. I think whatever opinion she had of anyone one in that family has since been amended after Meghan’s treatment just like many Americans.
This poll seems more like a test of whether or not people like the status quo – probably those who have the time and inclination to answer would say yes, she’s fine, we don’t want some big disruption, carry on. It might signal apathy rather than approval.
What I would love to know is a. How strong these “favourables” really are compared to, say, other widely respected figures in the U.K., and b. the demographics of the people surveyed (age, region etc).
but it’s under her that the british empire has shrunk so much. former colonies demanding independence and then becoming a republic. by the time george gets to rule, it will be over england alone.
I’m wondering what will happen in the future too. Will more Commonwealth countries want to become a republic? I’m surprised we aren’t here in Australia yet. There’s more and more people in the Commonwealth who aren’t British descendants and don’t have British ties. Therefore probably don’t care about tradition and the Royal family.
Murdoch controls Australia, so whilst some Aussies want out, they are also increasingly aligned with the ideas and interests of the USA and UK. Currently the existence of the BRF aligns with the right wing agenda.
Ok first things first, this is clearly a propaganda piece – it;s so comical I had to laugh. Billy no mates conveniently being No 2 is just crazy.
FYI this poll is done every year and it’s largely crap bc it’s skewed due to the population / sample it uses.
Also it’s a closed question i.e.
“When asked if they had a positive opinion of the Queen, 83 per cent of people said they did, which has increased from 79 per cent in March.”
Most people view the Queen as the caricature sweet old granny figure who has dedicated her life to service. Diana was the only Royal able to outrank the Queen on this Poll and it has always largely been used for propaganda. Harry is usually a close second every year, but he is now persona non grata bc he married the gobby American black girl so people opt for the queen.
A UK journalist said it best when he said ‘Is Kate the one we’re allowed to like?’
This poll is part of that agenda. They are slowly chipping away at the Sussex’s in the hope they return with a begging bowl, humiliated and broken.
I agree with people’s sentiments above. With certain sections of the population (gammons) the smear campaign has worked. They hate Meghan and attribute every negative emotion they have about the family to her. It makes everything better when someone provides you with an alternative set of facts to hide your racism and misogyny .
That said, there are also vast swathes of the population that like and admire Meghan, not just for her politics but her strength in standing up against the establishment. They are the younger generations. Bill and Katie are well aware of this hence Kate’s recent Meg cos-play.
With any luck more common wealth countries will examine their colonial past as part of the BLM movement (another reason that the establishment hate BLM so much). Once that happens the only and natural conclusion is to distance themselves from Lilibet and her inbred lineage. Thereafter the empire will shrink and the inevitable third wave of the fall of the British Empire will ensue.
I wonder if the UK will drop the ‘Great’ from Great Britain ? I’d love to see those fukkers singling Rule Britannia then.
“This poll is part of that agenda. They are slowly chipping away at the Sussex’s in the hope they return with a begging bowl, humiliated and broken.”
It’s not just the Sussexs–its the larger narrative the Sussexes are intended to represent. Humbling them is going to be portrayed as a means of humbling all the people the Tory right wing loathes–the progressives, the people who care about the poor, who like multiculturalism, who challenge the class system–all of these people are a threat to Tory right wingers and the power they think they deserve to have. They rail against how the Sussexes are “preaching” because they hate being called out or told that they’re doing something wrong. They know in part that what they’re doing is egregious, but they’ll be damned if they’re ever told to give a fuck about that by people they view as their inferiors.
Meghan married Harry at perhaps the worst point in time. She came into British society when it was at a turning point, and she became a representative of a particular ideal that the media was intent on tearing down. I’m not saying that there was no racism prior to 2015, or that she would have been treated better by the press–but the relentlessness of the onslaught, the particular tenor it took in its treatment of Meghan–those things would not have been the same. Then again, the royal establishment itself was not in any position to welcome a biracial American woman into its fold, so that conveniently took care of that.
I feel like Meghan and Harry, in so many ways, are some of the most prominent victims of what the press has become since 2015. This is what makes their activism for more honest, accountable journalism rather poignant–its fucking personal, as it should be. The sheer level of misinformation, the way the truth is twisted to serve the interests of people with nasty agendas, the smear campaigns and the effects they have on people and their reputation–this poll is the result of that. It’s basically a way for the Sun to see if their tactics have worked. And they seem to have. It’s going to take every bit of effort to put this shit to rights, because this goes just well beyond what the public thinks of the royal family at this point.
The sad thing is, it’s not a dumb poll at all. The numbers are fairly reflective of the actual splits in British society. The opinion polls on Meghan and Harry, the numbers probably fall pretty evenly between the Tory supporting right wing Brexiteers, and the more progressive left wing who see something genuinely wrong in how Meghan in particular has been treated by society. So this is not a surprise.
What this does provide, though, is a really not great portrait of what the British public is thinking right now. Like, as a POC, while I’m not British, it doesn’t exactly make me feel reassured that Meghan seems to be rather reviled by certain segments of the British population. So much of this is absolutely because of the way the media has been portraying and covering her in Britain, and that goes for both the broadsheets and the tabloids. They’ve infected public discourse in a truly disgusting way, and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be made to pay any time soon.
At any rate, here’s what’s going to happen down the line: Meghan and Harry are probably going to bear the brunt of the disdain and outright hatred for the next few decades, at least. William and Kate will continue to be protected and coddled by the press, while Charles will probably get thrown under the bus in a major way by the press, who see in William the figurehead for what they want to shape British society into. And William is more or less a willing participant in that endeavour.
The Queen is going to pass, and Charles is going to inherit the throne, but he’s not going to be a very popular monarch. He’s honestly far too lefty for this particular press contingent. The press won’t be anywhere near as hostile as they’ve been towards Meghan, but they’ll go in on him nevertheless, and they’ll be aided in this by William who, if things keep going as they are right now, is going to become a more and more brazen mouthpiece for the right wing Tories on a cultural level.
Where does that leave Britain? Well, honestly, a lot of it is dependent on the press. How are they people going to deal with the press that lies to them, smears people who go against the agenda of its corporate backers, and speak truth to power? Will it ever do that? Unless and until it does, I don’t see this situation getting much better. It takes a press that is aggressively committed to honesty to expose the cracks that will inevitably appear in William’s facade by the time he becomes monarch. Because the fact is, he’s going to be dealing with some real shit–more shit than even the Queen had to deal with, more shit than Charles will deal with. There are several significant political and constitutional issues that are going to come up by the time he becomes king–and given how he is, there are some serious questions about how he will be advised to navigate those issues going forward.
In the longest of long term, what will happen is that, once the British get used to Meghan and Harry being gone, they’ll start up on the nostalgic think pieces about how they did them dirty. How British society was still so backward and awful that they couldn’t deal with an accomplished biracial American woman. They’ll display a contriteness that’s much easier to demonstrate when you don’t have to do the difficult work of interrogating your racist biases in real time. And this too, is going to require people to hold their press accountable. Will that happen? I don’t have much faith in that.
But ultimately, what Meghan and Harry are is a useful tool for the disgustingly racist right wing of British society, who more or less control the media and create public perception. They are going to wring this discourse for all its worth in the near future, because it’s a useful and easy way for them to rile up their racist base in a way that no other issue can. Portraying Harry as the traitor and Meghan as the jezebel who stole him away, in contrast to lilywhite William and Kate who are just trying so hard and carrying all the hopes and dreams of white British society on their shoulders–that’s hugely useful for the British right wing, who are invested in waging a culture war on precisely these terms. They want to set up a dichotomy between their vision of Britain, which is overwhelmingly white (with few exceptions), prioritizes white British people, hates immigrants, hates outsiders, and still lords it over the rest of the world. And they’ve seized on Meghan and Harry as a means to whip up that attitude in their audience/support base, and right now, they have no principled opposition on this subject to challenge them adequately. Shit sucks all around.
I totally agree, Kaiser. It took me a LONG time to come around. Now I’m just disgusted by their racist, colonizer antics.
It also makes you think about what Diana knew about that family, and why she was so concerned about her boys growing up in that snake pit. She was right to be worried. Her worst fears came to fruition.