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Duke and Duchess of Sussex should lose royal titles, majority of British public believe

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend The Mountbatten Festival of Music in London in March 2020 - Simon Dawson/REUTERS
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend The Mountbatten Festival of Music in London in March 2020 - Simon Dawson/REUTERS

More than two thirds of Britons believe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should have their royal titles taken away from them, a new survey suggests.

The study for Tatler magazine also showed the majority of respondents believed the Duchess, an American citizen, should not be commenting on US politics.

It comes as the couple this week drew criticism for participating in a Time 100 video urging Americans to vote, which was perceived as critical of President Donald Trump.

The data, conducted last month by research consultancy Savanta Comres, polled 4,174 British adults, only taking results from those who expressed an opinion when questioned.

It found 68 per cent agreed Harry and Meghan should have their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex taken from them, following their step down from royal life and their move to the US.

A total of 63 per cent agreed Meghan, although American, should not be commenting on US politics. And 35 per cent concurred that the duchess "wants to be president of the United States one day".

Tatler magazine recently clashed with Kensington Palace over an article about the Duchess of Cambridge, eventually removing a series of claims from the story after accusations they were cruel, sexist and inaccurate.

Its November issue now features the Duchess of Sussex - who has not collaborated - on the cover, with an interview with her biographer Omid Scobie.

“It's been exactly a year since the Duchess of Sussex, then still a working member of the Royal Family, was last on the cover of Tatler, and as the old adage goes, a lot can happen in a year,” the magazine writes, saying she was chosen for a 2019 cover as “the most talked about woman of the day”.

Then, a poll showed the “public was divided over Meghan”, it said, adding: “Now, as Harry and Meghan have quit the Firm, paid off Frogmore, set up home in California and signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix, we asked the nation again what they thought of the couple in a new survey.”

The full results are contained in the November issue of Tatler, available in print and digital on Thursday.