Royal Expert Claims King Charles Is 'Paying the Price' for Bringing Prince Harry Back as Polls Dip

King Charles favourability has fallen to a reported low for his reign in a poll of British adults conducted on 22 and 23 October 2026, with royal commentator Tom Sykes attributing the decline to the monarch's approach to Prince Harry.

The king remains positively viewed by a majority of Britons, but his 58% favourability rating is four percentage points below its summer level. The results arrive four years into his reign, alongside declining ratings for Harry and Meghan Markle. The polling does not establish why opinion about Charles has shifted.

Sykes interpretation centres on the Sussexes return. His argument connects the king's relationship with Harry to the results, although the figures alone do not demonstrate that one caused the other.

King Charles Falls Below 60% Favourability

The proportion of Britons expressing a negative opinion of Charles rose three percentage points to 34%, reported as the joint highest level during his reign. His positive rating, meanwhile, is reported to be the lowest since he took the throne.

Together, those movements indicate a less favourable balance of public opinion than during the summer. They do not mean that most respondents have turned against the king. Positive views still outnumber negative ones, leaving him with net favourability of +24.

That net figure is calculated by subtracting the proportion expressing a negative opinion from the proportion expressing a positive one. It measures the balance of those views, rather than the overall percentage of people who regard Charles favourably.

Sykes was quoted as describing the results as 'devastating'. Discussing the survey, which he stated covered 2,116 British adults, he characterised a rating below 60% as 'a big psychological blow for a British monarch'.

The significance of that threshold was his judgement. The reported decline concerns personal favourability, which is distinct from whether respondents believe Britain should retain the monarchy.

Why Sykes Links King Charles to Harry's Return

In his published commentary, Sykes argued that 'the King is paying the price for bringing Harry back'. He argued that the Sussexes return had affected Charles 'standing', placing the couple at the centre of his explanation for the decline.

That assessment goes beyond the poll's findings. The results record opinions about members of the royal family, but do not establish that Harry's return influenced respondents views of Charles. They also do not establish what role the king personally played in facilitating that return.

The distinction matters to the claim that Charles is bearing a cost for his approach to Harry. A fall in favourability can be reported from the figures. Assigning a reason for that fall remains an interpretation unless supported by evidence about what shaped respondents answers.

King Charles Retains a More Favourable Balance Than the Sussexes

Harry's positive rating stands at 29%, down four percentage points since July, while 60% of Britons view him negatively. For Meghan, the corresponding figures are 20% positive and 68% negative.

Those results leave Meghan with net favourability of -48, reported as the lowest recorded by the tracker to date. For both Sussexes, negative views substantially outnumber positive ones, unlike the balance recorded for Charles.

The individual ratings therefore describe different levels of public favourability within the same family. The king's decline leaves him with majority positive opinion, while Harry and Meghan each receive negative assessments from a majority of respondents.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, remain the most positively viewed royals, with favourable ratings ranging from 72% to 74%. Sykes was quoted as describing them as the 'stars at the top of the Christmas tree'.

Queen Camilla's figures are more closely divided, with 42% expressing a positive opinion and 45% a negative one. On the constitutional question, 64% of Britons believe the UK should continue as a kingdom, while 25% would prefer an elected head of state.