Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Popularity Rate Sinks to New Record After Oprah Interview

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s popularity in the U.K. saw a giant plummet after their interview with Oprah Winfrey. While so many around the world have been curious for years as to what goes on behind closed doors among the royal family, Harry and Markle let fans in with some insight. However, it’s backfiring among some U.K. citizens. According to a YouGov poll conducted in the wake of their interview, 48 percent of British respondents had a negative view towards the couple while 45 percent had a positive one.

The couple sat down with Winfrey in a tell-all interview and they left jaws on the floor. While they dished on the royal family, they addressed some hard-hitting rumors head-on. One that Winfrey covered was the rumors that said Markle made her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, cry over flower girl dresses, however, Markle claims the opposite happened. The former Suits actress said it was actually Middleton who made her cry but that Middleton had apologized shortly after and brought Markle flowers. It was months later that news broke in the media that the incident even happened, which upset Markle that it leaked and that she was the one being blamed.

A source has since stepped forward to share Middleton’s side of the story and says Middleton feels the entire incident was simply a “misunderstanding” and that she would like to address the rumors as well but is not much a confrontational person. The insider did say that Middleton felt a bit hurt that Markle mentioned the Duchess by name, since she didn’t mention other family members by name when sharing her dismay or frustration about them. Since their sit-down, the Queen has also given a statement claiming to be shocked by the accusations and that they take their concerns very seriously.

However, the couple claims the real reason they chose to walk away is because they felt they were not being protected by the royal family and Harry felt history was repeating itself, alluding to his mother, Princess Diana’s, situation. Harry then added that their situation was more amplified because race and social media were involved, and when he found out his family was removing his security at their most vulnerable time, that’s was drew the line in the sand for him. He did admit that he never would have stepped away from his family or royal life had it not been for Markle, but said that he doesn’t regret it because Markle has only added to his life in the best kind of way.