Duchess Meghan's stepping down as a senior royal in favour of a new life in the US has severely damaged her popularity — at least that's what a new poll conducted by YouGov says.

The study found the Duchess of Sussex ranked as one of the least popular "royals" in the UK. In the poll, she even ranked lower than Duchess Camilla, whose public approval has always been low since she married Prince Charles.

Meghan Markle's popularity drops lower than Duchess Camilla

According to the YouGov survey, Duchess Meghan's popularity fell to an all-time low during the final quarter of 2020.

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Duchess Meghan is less popular than Duchess Camilla, poll finds.

The data says the former actress has an approval rating of 32 percent, while 20 percent are neutral, and 40 percent disapprove. Thus, Duchess Meghan was ranked 11th in popularity among 15 UK royals named in the poll. 

The data contrasts with previous studies conducted before the royal exit of 2020. For example, the same polling house noted in 2018 that Meghan was seen as a "fortress" for the Crown after her marriage to Prince Harry.

Duchess Camilla: Better received than Meghan Markle

The winner of the survey was debatably Duchess Camilla, despite only coming in ninth place, as she was finally able to crack the Top 10 in popularity among the Royal Family.

The Duchess of Cornwall had approval numbers above 30 percent. Unsurprisingly, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II topped the popularity poll released this week. Princess Anne and Duchess Kate also earned Top 5 spots, while Prince Andrew finished 15th out of 15 in the poll. The full list, ranked by approval percentage:

  • 15) Prince Andrew
  • 14) Princess Beatrice
  • 13) Prince Edward
  • 12) Princess Eugenie
  • 11) Duchess Meghan
  • 10) Countess Sophie
  • 9) Duchess Camilla
  • 8) Prince Harry
  • 7) Prince Charles
  • 6) Zara Phillips
  • 5) Prince Philip
  • 4) Princess Anne
  • 3) Duchess Kate
  • 2) Queen Elizabeth II
  • 1) Prince William

Deservingly or not, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry (who finished one spot ahead of Camilla, in eighth) ruffled feathers with their actions in 2020, which included stepping down as senior royals, making political statements, and signing production deals with Netflix and Spotify.