Harry’s Support Among the Young Just Evaporated

Harry is finding out what Edward VIII learned: The public love the royals. They just don't love royals who leave.

Edward VIII (as the Duke of Windsor) was the greatest threat to the reign of his brother, George VI.

Prince Andrew is the greatest threat to the reign of his brother, King Charles III.

And for a long time, it looked like Prince Harry would be the greatest threat to the reign of his brother, the future King William V.

Disgruntled dukes make uniquely dangerous brothers for kings, especially when they feel they have nothing to lose. And there was a period, not so very long ago, when William’s team had genuine reason to be worried.

Not because Harry was popular in any overall sense — his approval ratings had cratered from the dizzy heights of 70% and 80% he once enjoyed as a working royal to around 35% — but because of where his remaining support was concentrated.

The concern was generational. As recently as February 2025, YouGov data showed that 48% of 18-to-24-year-olds held a positive view of Prince Harry — only a shade off William’s numbers in the same cohort. Among the young, Harry was not a pariah, he was competitive.

And monarchy is the ultimate long-term project. The older generation that loathed Harry would, it was thought, gradually shuffle off this mortal coil, while the younger cohort that was more sympathetic to him would age into political and cultural dominance. Harry, in other words, was playing a long game, and the demographics were on his side.

That argument is now dead, and the latest YouGov data is its death certificate.

The most recent quarterly royal favorability tracker, shows that Harry’s support among 18-to-24-year-olds has collapsed from 48% to just 35% in barely a year.