Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are often the victims of bad press, especially this year. While the media has largely been kind to both King Charles and Kate Middleton following their respective cancer diagnoses, and by extension their loyal son and husband, Prince William — the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had to face a flurry of negativity, surrounding everything from their controversial tours to Harry’s ESPY award.
Not everyone has an axe to grind with the Sussexes, however. Believe it or not, there is a whole nation of people that reportedly counts Harry and Meghan as their favorite Royals of the lot and has effectively claimed them as their own — even going so far as to earn them a rare win over the Prince and Princess of Wales. In fact, if these Sussex supporters had their way, the couple would be moving up in the world… And I mean that literally.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle more popular than William and Kate with Canadians
We know Harry and Meghan aren’t too popular in the former’s native U.K., seeing as the prince is perceived to have snubbed both his homeland and his family when shooting off to the States in 2020. Likewise, the novelty of having a Royal living in the U.S. is believed to have rubbed off for Americans at this point, with the Sussexes’ upcoming Netflix projects receiving significantly less buzz than earlier efforts.
You know who allegedly really, really loves the couple, though? Canada. Garry Toffoli, the Executive Director of the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust, told Express that evidence suggests Harry and Meghan are far more popular with Canadians than William and Catherine.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have maintained a closer connection to Canada than have the Prince and Princess of Wales,” Toffoli opined.
The root of their consistent popularity is the fact that Harry and Meghan initially relocated to Canada after exiting the U.K. in 2020. The couple resided in Vancouver Island for two months, intending to maintain “semi-official” Royal positions by living in a Commonwealth state, but the Royal family vetoed the decision, leading them to move to California.
“Canadians remember that the problems regarding the Sussexes began when the Palace (wrongly, I believe) prevented them from living in Canada with royal security and carrying out part-time royal duties,” Toffoli continued. “The overwhelming majority of Canadians supported the Sussexes’ plans at the time. In one poll in early 2020 over 60 per cent wanted Prince Harry to become the next Governor General of Canada.”
Meghan herself was also a resident of Toronto for many years thanks to her hit show Suits filming there. Moreover, the duo will return to the country very soon when Vancouver hosts the Invictus Games in 2025. William and Catherine, meanwhile, haven’t set foot in the land of maple syrup since 2016, when they traveled to British Columbia and the Yukon on the invitation of President Justin Trudeau.
Canada might be the second-biggest nation on Earth but it’s still not big enough to support two Royal couples.
