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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is now a divisive figure. She and Prince Harry were wildly popular when they got married in 2018. However, after recent events, some of their actions have attracted more and more criticism.

A royal expert now also claims that members of the British public might openly show their disdain towards Meghan if she attends an event in the United Kingdom.

Meghan Markle wearing white shirt, looking on
Meghan Markle | Karwai Tang/Getty Images

Meghan Markle has not attended a U.K. event since moving to California

Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals in early 2020, Then, the couple moved to Montecito, California, a few months later. Because of the pandemic, the couple has mostly stayed put in United States for the past year.

Recently, Harry did fly back to the U.K. to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip. As reported by The Independent, Harry returned to the United States after nine days in the U.K. During his stay, he met with several family members and had conversations with them. However, Meghan stayed behind in California due to her pregnancy.

It is likely Harry will fly back to the U.K. this summer for the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue at Kensington Palace. Meghan will give birth during the summer, so it is unclear whether she will travel as well.

A royal expert claims Meghan Markle could be ‘booed’ by the public

Meghan and Harry have ignited a lot of strong feelings from the public after their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March. The couple discussed their grievances with the royal family, including accusing a royal of being racist and claiming Meghan did not receive help for her mental health struggles.

Royal reporter Dan Wootton recently wrote for the Daily Mail that the Oprah interview has not sat well with other royals and many members of the public. Meghan’s image is also largely negative in the U.K.

“There are genuine concerns that she could be booed at an event attended by members of the public given her current unpopularity in the UK as a result of the Oprah interview,” Wootton said, referencing alleged palace sources.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s popularity has drastically dipped

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According to Yahoo, research firm YouGov recently surveyed 1,700 British adults to find out the public’s perception of various royals. After Prince Philip’s funeral, many royals rose in popularity, including Prince Charles; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince William; and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. 

However, Harry and Meghan were the only royals whose popularity dipped. Harry had an approval rating of 45 percent before the funeral, but it is now 43 percent. Meanwhile, Meghan’s approval rating went from 31 percent to 29 percent. 

They are not the least popular royals, though. Prince Andrew is in last place among the people listed in the YouGov poll. Nevertheless, even Andrew’s popularity increased by a bit after the funeral—from 7 percent to 10 percent.