The public is largely opposed to Prince Harry returning to royal duties, even on a temporary basis, according to a new poll.
The Ipsos poll also revealed that almost half of Britons think the royals are very or fairly divided, with the prince and his wife Meghan most often blamed for the split.
Fieldwork for the poll was conducted from February 29 to March 3, before the latest stories about Kate’s Mother’s Day photograph.
Asked whether Prince Harry should return to his royal duties amid the absence of King Charles and the Princess of Wales due to their health, 40 percent said they would oppose it on a temporary basis, and 39 per cent opposed this on a permanent basis.
Only 26 percent supported his return on a temporary basis and 25 percent supported a permanent return.
An opinion poll reveals who is most to blame for the split in the royal family
Two in five say they would oppose Prince Harry returning to carry out royal duties on either a temporary or permanent basis
The Ipsos poll also revealed that nearly half of Britons think the royals are very or fairly divided, with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan most often blamed for the split.
And 29 percent neither supported nor opposed Prince Harry returning to his royal duties on either a temporary or permanent basis.
Almost half of Britons (48%) consider the royals to be very or fairly divided, according to the poll.
And 25 percent said the royal family is very or somewhat united, while 18 percent said they are neither.
The 48 percent of respondents who believe the royal family is divided were asked who they believe is ‘most’ responsible for the divisions.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were jointly blamed for the most at 41 per cent each.
Prince Andrew was in third place with 28 per cent. The media was in fourth place with 20 per cent.
King Charles was in fifth place with 17 percent of respondents saying he was most responsible for divisions in the royal family, and his wife the Queen was sixth with 14 percent.
Prince William was also thought to be most responsible for royal splits with 14 per cent. His wife, the Princess of Wales, was believed to be responsible for nine percent.
Royal staff were blamed for splits by six per cent of those polled, with just two per cent blaming Prince Edward, while one per cent blamed Princess Anne. One percent blamed Beatrice, and her sister Eugenie was not considered responsible by any of the respondents.
And 11 percent believed that everyone on the list was equally responsible for divisions in the royal family.
This comes after a poll this week named the Princess of Wales as Britain’s favorite royal as Harry and Meghan’s popularity declined.
The survey – which was also carried out before the publication of the controversial edited Mother’s Day photo – found that 38 per cent of Britons like Kate Middleton the most.
But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have fallen in popularity by three points – with Harry on 11 per cent and Meghan on seven per cent.
The results of a poll asking Britons who is most responsible for divisions in the royal family
Two in five think Britain would be worse off in the future if the monarchy were abolished, compared with a quarter who say it would be better
Prince Andrew was the third most to blame for the split in the royal family with 28 per cent
The poll results come after the Sussexes raised an eyebrow last night when they made two announcements that clashed with Prince William’s speech at an awards ceremony honoring his mother Princess Diana.
Despite perceptions of division, the attitude towards the royal house as an institution appears largely unchanged, shows the new Ipsos survey.
The survey shows that 25 percent believe that it would be better for Britain if the monarchy were abolished.
And 41 percent think Britain would be worse off if the monarchy were abolished, and 24 percent think it would make no difference.
These numbers have not moved much since the start of 2023.
Ipsos director of politics Keiran Pedley said of the results: ‘These figures make it clear how far Prince Harry’s popularity has fallen in recent times. Once the most popular Royal, now only one in ten say he is their favourite.
“Meanwhile, while Harry and Meghan are most likely to be blamed for royal divisions, there is considerable public reluctance about Harry returning to royal duties, even on a temporary basis. Even if a majority is not actively opposed.’