Prince William’s selfie with Taylor Swift really broke a lot of brains. As I said at the time, it was a clear PR win for William and it’s okay to acknowledge that. It was also probably an unexpected PR win for William when Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce were falling all over themselves to call William “the coolest motherf–ker” and praise his parenting skills. This is probably the best thing to happen to Kensington Palace’s PR in years. Instead of just taking the dub and acting like these kinds of wins happen all the time for the heir to the throne, William and his sycophants proceeded to make asses out of themselves. They’ve been running around, screaming about how Taylor Swift wanted to “pay court” to big-boy William, and how now the Kelces are on Team Egg so it will be awkward for Prince Harry at the ESPYs. Insane. But not as bonkers as this Daily Mail headline: “Is it William winning the hearts of Americans, like Harry wishes he was? After Travis Kelce calls Prince ‘coolest’ royal, how future king has surged in popularity over the pond, while the Sussexes get a lukewarm response.”
When the Duke of Sussex put down roots in America, he no doubt wanted to capture the hearts of those in his new country. But it is his older brother, the Prince of Wales, 42, that appears to be better connected with those across the pond.
William’s popularity is so potent that he’s polled much higher among Americans than the country’s own heavyweight public figures, despite the country having their own British prince on home soil. Analytics firm Gallup asked US voters what they thought about 15 big names on the world stage in 2023, and the heir to the British throne came top, beating homegrown notables President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.
It’s not just members of the public that have taken a liking to William, but also the pop sensation Taylor Swift, 34, and her American football tight end boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also 34.
That same year, a poll conducted by Newsweek found that almost half Americans believe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be stripped of their royal titles. The poll, conducted in January 2023, found that 45 per cent of Americans are in favour of Harry and Meghan losing their royal titles, while 26 per cent opposed to the idea, and 28 per cent said they are unsure.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be putting off Americans with their ‘endless moans’ and ‘attacks’ on the Royal Family, a royal expert has claimed. In a bid to branch out to the celebrity world, the Sussexes are often seen making appearances at glitzy events, including the ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ premiere in Jamaica in January. But they were branded ‘insensitive’ for posing on the red carpet with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who wants to ditch the monarchy.
Speaking about Harry and Meghan’s time since leaving Britain, royal author Angela Levin said even Americans are getting fed up with the couple’s ‘hypocrisy’ and whinging. She told The Sun: ‘I think endless moaning puts off Americans because they like people who are go-getters rather than those who blame everyone else. They also don’t like the attacks on the Royal Family especially as they so loved and admired the Queen.’
That 2023 poll was clearly some kind of bizarre palace scheme, bought and paid for by William raiding one of the many piggy banks he has access to. I don’t even think I covered that Newsweek poll about the Sussexes and their titles? Let me tell the royalists something – the average American does not give a sh-t about the Sussexes’ titles. But we are paying attention: a hit Netflix series, a bestselling, record-breaking memoir, the “Meghan Effect” for everything Meghan wears, a ratings boost whenever Harry or Meghan are on screen. That’s the larger problem, isn’t it? This is the British press and KP trying to convince their domestic audience that “Americans hate the Sussexes” while simultaneously convincing the domestic audience that William is beloved by Americans. And beyond all of that… why does it matter? Is it because William only became obsessed with America once Harry and Meghan moved there?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace and Taylor Swift’s social media.