Meghan Markle has not been back to the UK since September 2022, when she attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Meghan Markle’s real reason for not returning to the UK may be due to her extremely low levels of popularity in this country, according to a YouGov poll.

Data collected by the market research company between May 1 and May 2 this year showed that the Duchess of Sussex was disliked by 65 percent of those surveyed, with 45 percent saying their view of her was “very negative” and 20 percent claiming it was “fairly negative”.

In contrast only four percent said they were “very positive” about Meghan, although slightly more, 18 percent, said they felt “faitly positive” about her.

This comes as the Duchess once again avoided coming back to Britain with her husband Prince Harry this week, making it almost two years since her last visit.

The Duke was in London to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but Meghan opted to stay home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Meghan Markle’s popularity has sunk very low (Image: Getty)

Overall Meghan’s net approval rating in May had dropped to minus 43, down five points from April when her approval rating was minus 38.

The data shows a clear divide in age, with younger generations such as millenials likely to have a more positive view of her than boomers, who are a few decades older.

Amongst the over 65’s just one percent said their opinion of Meghan was “very positive”, while a staggering 82 percent said they thought “very negatively” of her.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have just returned from a visit to Nigeria (Image: Getty)

Based on 2021 census data for the UK, Newsweek suggests that this means only around 110,000 boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) have a positive view of the Duchess.

The data shows that a younger a person, the more likely they are to have a positive opinion of Meghan, but even then the negatives outweigh them.

Amongst those aged 18-24, who would be part of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), 36 percent said they viewed her positively and 40 percent had a more negative view.

Younger Brits have a slightly more positive view of Meghan (Image: Getty)

Out of those surveyed who are part of Gen Z, nine percent viewed Meghan very positively, in comparison to 20 percent who said their opinion of her was “very negative”.

Prince Harry is slightly more popular than his wife, as his net approval rating among 18-24 year olds is plus six, even though his “very positive” percentage of respondents remain in single figures across all ages.

Harry was greeted with cheers from the assembled crowds when he arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral last Wednesday for the Invictus Games ceremony, even though no other members of the Royal Family joined him.