Prince Harry has climbed back to a 33% positivity rating in the latest YouGov royal favourability tracker, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have fallen behind at 30% and 29% respectively, according to the data.
For years, the narrative was set: Harry and Meghan were the self-exiled villains who traded royal duty for Montecito and criticised the Firm on global television, while Andrew's daughters were seen as the sensible, hard-working royals who kept their heads down and held real jobs. But the latest polling numbers have turned that picture upside down.
Andrew and Fergie's toxic shadow
Beatrice and Eugenie are now paying the price for their parents' ongoing scandals, argues Emily Wright in an opinion piece. Their father, Prince Andrew, sits at a historic low of just 2% favourability, with a staggering 92% of the country holding a negative view. Their mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, continues to face media criticism over her ongoing blunders.
The sisters have not written tell-all memoirs, sat down with Oprah, or launched targeted attacks on the Crown, yet they are being dragged down by what Wright calls the "York brand" being crushed beyond repair.
A cruel dilemma
Behind closed doors, Beatrice and Eugenie face an impossible tightrope. To the British public, Andrew and Sarah may be pariahs, but to the sisters they are simply "Dad" and "Mum" – and beloved grandparents to their young children. Neither sister wants to sever those family bonds, yet every public outing or visit reignites the media spotlight, making loyalty a PR nightmare.
They face a cruel dilemma: cut off their own family and break their own hearts, or maintain those ties and watch their public standing crumble, Wright argues.
A double standard for non-working royals
Wright highlights what she calls a double standard. Unlike William, Catherine, or King Charles, Beatrice and Eugenie are not taxpayer-funded working royals. They draw no money from the Sovereign Grant, hold no official duties, and never asked to be regulars in this royal soap opera. They hold regular jobs and raise their young families in private.
She argues they are being judged against full-time state representatives simply because of their royal titles and the disgraced father attached to their name.
The Waleses remain untouchable
While Harry celebrates a modest bump, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, continue to dominate the tracker with approval ratings of 76% and 74%. They represent everything the public craves – stability, dignity, and unwavering service – and have proved why the future of the monarchy rests safely in their hands, Wright writes.
King Charles also holds a solid, comfortable majority, with 68% of the public believing he is doing a good job as monarch – the highest rating recorded by the YouGov tracker to date.
For Beatrice and Eugenie, the lesson is as heartbreaking as it is obvious. They are private women doing everything they can to stay respected, but as long as their parents' legacy remains in flames, they will be left picking up the pieces of a downfall they did nothing to cause.
