We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The overnight success of Prince Harry‘s memoir, Spare, is only the beginning of the Duke and Duchesses’ lucrative attack on the Royal Family, claims Washington-based royal commentator Nile Gardiner. “Trashing the Royal Family is big business for Harry and Meghan,” the royal enthusiast wrote on Twitter. He was referring to reports that Harry and Meghan have signed a four-book deal with publishing giant Penguin Random House for an advanced fee of $20million.
But that sum now looks modest in light of the success of Prince Harry‘s memoir, Spare, which sold a record 1.4 million copies on its day of release.
Success has not come without controversy. The tell-all memoir is packed with revelations about the Royal Family.
Harry has sparked criticism for his unsparing insights, such as his physical altercation with Prince William and the critical portrayal of his stepmother Camilla, Queen of Consort.
READ MORE: Royal Family LIVE: Harry warned ‘oversharing’ in Spare has spectacularly backfired in US
Polls suggest this has caused Harry and Meghan’s popularity to plummet.
The drop has been particularly vertiginous in the US, where the couple have historically enjoyed a higher favourability rating than in the UK.
Prior to publication, Harry had a favourability rating of +38, according to a December 5 poll of 2,000 US voters for Newsweek.
As of January 16, this had plunged to -7.
DON’T MISS
Biden and Pals laugh at press attempts to question POTUS [REPORT]
Mike Tyson accused of alleged rape in the 90s [LATEST]
US to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine [REPORT]
His wife has also taken a hit following the release of Spare, the poll suggested.
Meghan now has an approval rating of -13, compared to +23 on December 5.
The poll also found women were slightly less likely to like Meghan than men.
Asked about whether Harry was right to reveal intimate conversations with his family members in the memoir, 44 percent said he was wrong, with 26 percent saying he was right.
READ MORE: Prince Harry shoots himself in foot as Duke loses Sussexes ‘core support’ with memoir
This represents a seven point drop since the previous survey in early December.
Currently, two thirds of Britons (64 percent) have a negative view of the fifth in line to the throne, up from 59 percent.
Even younger Britons, who generally tended to hold favourable views of Harry, are now divided, with 41 percent having a positive impression and 41 percent a negative one.
Attitudes towards King Charles, Kate Middleton and Meghan remain unchanged since the December survey, but there has been a drop in Prince William’s popularity.
The number of people with a positive view of the new Prince of Wales has fallen eight points from 77 percent in December to 69 percent as of January 5-6.
At the same time the number with a negative view rose from 15 percent to 20 percent.
See today’s front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive.