Meghan Markle is the most controversial member of the British royal family in decades. When she gave up her title, she encountered many scandals and was not welcomed in her husband’s hometown.

The British public’s cold attitude towards Meghan Markle was once again proven when she appeared outside Windsor Castle on September 10 to greet the crowd coming to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

When the Duchess of Sussex proactively approached to shake hands with the three women, she only received ignorance. Prince Harry’s wife seemed very upset and immediately left.

The clip recording the incident quickly went viral. Many individuals supported the reaction of the three women, sarcastically calling Meghan Markle “the Duchess of Netflix” and “disrespectful to the UK”.

In August, a YouGov poll showed that 43% of 2,627 British adults surveyed said they had “unfavorable opinions” of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Meanwhile, 22% answered “dislike very much”, 22% “sympathized” and 13% had a neutral opinion.

Previously, in May, 65% of British respondents said they had a negative opinion of Meghan Markle compared to 23% who were positive. The total positivity score was -42, her lowest ever.

While it is impossible to pinpoint the exact reasons behind the public hatred for Meghan Markle, especially from the vast majority of British people, there are a number of things that could lead to such attitudes, according to N ews.com. au.

Made many mistakes

Women in the royal family must adhere to old-fashioned codes of conduct such as dressing in specific colors, wearing stockings and being given instructions on how to do their nails.

Markle was once considered the future of the royal family. She did not grow up in wealth and power, but may be a louder voice.

However, the popularity of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the UK dropped sharply after the couple announced they were giving up their royal titles and moving to the US. The situation became even worse after their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 and the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir the same year.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially renounced their royal titles from March 31, 2020 and have not carried out any missions since then. Photo: Vogue.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially renounced their royal titles from March 31, 2020 and have not carried out any missions since then. Photo: Vogue.

According to Talent Recap , one of the reasons Meghan Markle is often disliked by the British is related to the fact that she and her husband gave up royal duties to have a more comfortable life in sunny Los Angeles.

Many believe that Markle is unaware of the role she plays in the royal family, even inciting Prince Harry to quit.

Besides, in British culture in general, bringing family matters to television is not welcomed. But time and time again, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear in the media talking about the royal family and always seem like victims.

The two were criticized for hypocrisy because they said the royal family had cut off finances and had to pay for security themselves. Meanwhile, before that, they themselves announced that they wanted to be financially independent and leave the royal family to have a private life.

Even before leaving the royal family, Meghan Markle was hated because her father, Thomas Markle, constantly talked to the media about his daughter and her husband. This behavior is considered trivial.

Many people believe that Meghan Markle is not aware of the role she plays in the royal family, even inciting Prince Harry to quit with her. Photo: WPA Pool/Getty.

Many people believe that Meghan Markle is not aware of the role she plays in the royal family, even inciting Prince Harry to quit with her. Photo: WPA Pool/Getty.

Many times, Meghan Markle was exposed for saying untrue statements. For example, in a recent interview with The Cut , the Duchess of Sussex said that if she stayed in the royal family, she would be followed by “40 photographers when taking her son Archie to school.”

Chris Ship, ITV’s royal editor, was later praised for stamping out the lie: “Nothing like that would happen. Prince William and Princess Kate often take Prince George and Princess Charlotte to school without any cameras around.”

Another reason why Meghan Markle is hated is that even though she no longer performs royal duties, she still uses the title Duchess of Sussex everywhere.

Double standards

From another perspective, freelance writer Mary Madigan said that no matter how annoying Meghan Markle may be, the rage and anger the public vents at her is sometimes seen as too rude.

When returning to England to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Markle’s every action was closely scrutinized, to the point where it felt like whatever she did was not pleasing to the public.

To be fair, since marrying Prince Harry, Markle’s entire identity has depended on her husband. With her independent personality, it’s not too difficult to understand her trying to escape that.

Since leaving the royal family, every word and action of Meghan Markle has been scrutinized. Photo: Getty.

Since leaving the royal family, every word and action of Meghan Markle has been scrutinized. Photo: Getty.

Looking at the public’s attitude towards Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, we can see that people are much harsher on women than men.

Markle faced a lot of criticism for going on television to defame the royal family, moving to the US and signing a podcast deal with Spotify. She is considered a money-hungry and fame-hungry person.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, with similar actions, is still loved.

Chatting with Oprah Winfrey in a controversial interview last year, Meghan Markle complained about her husband’s parents, but Prince Harry also spoke poorly about his own blood. In the end, the wife is still the one to blame.

“I do not claim that Meghan Markle is a likable person. She is not Princess Diana. However, I think we need to ask ourselves why we hate Meghan but continue to love Harry so easily? Maybe because people like women playing villains,” said Mary Madigan.