Americans' fascination with the British royal family is one that has been multi-generational. From the abdication of the throne by King Edward VIII so that he could marry American divorcee, Wallis Simpson to the televised wedding of then Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten and the televised wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Americans felt like they were watching a fairytale from afar and could not get enough of the royals.More recently, the American public has felt a larger connection to the younger generation of royals, Prince William and Kate Middleton and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. As of late, however, it appears that the appeal of the royal family is waning with Americans.
Prince William And Kate Middleton Were Booed
Earlier this month, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge took their first trip to the states since Queen Elizabeth's death. In what should have been a visit where the couple was welcomed with open arms, their foray to a sporting event in Boston made it very clear how the audience felt about the monarchy.
At the end of November, Prince William and Kate took in a Boston Celtics game. Sitting courtside, the couple likely thought that their presence would be met with applause. Instead, it was met with a booing crowd and chants of "USA, USA."
Given the warm reception of the couple in visits past, this likely came as a shock to the Duke and Duchess. But after Prince William's godmother made racist comments in the days leading up to the visit to America, and subsequently stepped down as "Lady of the Household," Bostonians made it known loud and clear that they would not stand for anyone who was surrounded by those who believed there was a place for racism in society.
This same sentiment was touched upon the following day at the Earthshot Prize Awards.
Boston's Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, Reverend Mariama White-Hammond called for an invitation for everyone to "consider the legacy of colonialism and racism." A comment that was obviously directed at the recent scandal caused by Lady Susan Hussey.
It did not matter that Prince William denounced the remarks of his godmother in the hours after they were said. The damage had been done and the message was clear. Americans were not quite as enamored with the senior royals as they once had been.
Reaction To The Harry & Meghan Trailer Has Been Negative
When Prince Harry and Meghan made the choice to step down as senior royals, there was not a warm reception from the British public as a result of their decision. However, there was sympathy from Americans. Many of them saw the Duke and Duchess of Sussex not only as celebrities but one of their own.
But, as more tell-alls have been done by Prince Harry and Meghan, the feelings of the American public seem to have soured. And the release of the trailer for Harry & Meghan has made that crystal clear.
On December 5, the two trailers were released for the docuseries that premiers in two parts, on December 8 and December 15, respectively. In less than 24 hours' time, the combination of the two trailers garnered over 400,000 dislikes on YouTube; the likes came in at around 40,000.
Does this mean that people will not watch the docuseries? Likely not. And it is entirely possible that the view of Prince Harry and Meghan could change as a result of a candid retelling of life behind the scenes as former senior royals. But they also run the risk of their popularity with the American public falling, just as it did after their interview with Oprah.
As such, once the series has aired, it will be the poll numbers that will give the real barometer of how American feel about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Scandal Has Soured The View Of The Royal Family
Scandal and the royal family are something that has gone hand-in-hand for centuries. While the British public views them in one light, the US has always managed to have a soft spot for one or more members who had a negative light shined on them.
But with the scandals of late, the popularity of the royals has dramatically decreased.
Queen Elizabeth always helped a special place in Americans' hearts. That is why she was always the most popular of all the royals. King Charles, however, was never held in such regard. Instead, the public took Princess Diana's side during their most public divorce.
Now that King Charles is the head of the monarchy, there is little enthusiasm on the part of the American public. This comes as 29 percent of Americans feel that the king will be a "worse monarch" than Queen Elizabeth was, and 28 percent have no opinion at all.
Polls show this could be the least popular showing for the monarchy yet, all as a result of the scandal that plagued the then-prince so many decades ago, with only 34 percent of Americans seeing King Charles in a positive light.
One of the biggest scandals to rock the royal family is Prince Andrew and his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. And while the prince never admitted to any wrongdoing or that he was associated with sex trafficking, he did settle with his accuser millions to avoid further court proceedings.
This money was not solely from the pocket of Prince Andrew. Both the Queen and Prince Charles chipped in as well. And at the end of the day, Prince Andrew was a villain with no family standing by him and all respect lost by the American public.
And of course, there is the most recent scandal with Prince Harry and Meghan relinquishing their roles as senior royals. A move that initially made the American public sympathetic. But since that time, that sympathy has waned.
Without some serious turnaround in the monarchy, the fascination Americans had so many decades ago with royalty will continue to fade. With curtains being opened to reveal that royal life is not all that it is cracked up to be, becoming that fairytale princess looks far less appealing than ever before.
