Royal author Duncan Larcombe claimed the Duke of Sussex's plummeting popularity must be "really hard for him". Mr Larcombe's comments come as a recent YouGov poll suggested public opinion of Harry and Meghan Markle in the UK is continuing to drop.

       The royal expert, who penned a book on Harry, told Closer magazine: “I’ve reported on Harry since he was a teenager and he was the most popular member of the Royal Family.

       "And going from that to where he is now must be really hard for him and probably adds to his anger.

       “Meghan too was so welcomed in the beginning, but now the UK has lost trust in her.

       "Their popularity has totally nosedived."

       The former royal editor also raised fears over what Harry will do if his new life in the US does not work out.

       Mr Larcombe claimed: “It’s worrying to think what Harry has left if his American life fails for him.

       "I don’t think he’ll be welcomed back as a working royal, but he would as a brother, son and grandson.

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       “If Harry’s not on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, waving to the crowds, on the day his father or his brother becomes King, then I think the public will be done with him.”

       A YouGov poll last week showed positive opinion on Harry has dropped nine points since April from 43 percent to 34 percent.

       The survey of 1,667 British adults carried out from August 27 to 29 found positive opinion on the Duchess of Sussex has also plunged from 29 percent in April to 26 percent.

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       YouGov cited the Sussexes' Oprah Winfrey interview and "poor responses" to their statement on Afghanistan and the Covid pandemic last month as reasons behind the drop.

       Harry and Meghan, who quit royal duties last year for a new life in America, hit out at the Royal Family in their TV interview in March.

       The Duke went on to make further controversial comments about his family in the following weeks.

       And he is penning a tell-all memoir about his life which is set to be released next year.

       Harry and Meghan are living in California with two-year-old son Archie and daughter Lili, who was born in June.

       In August, they released a lengthy statement through their Archewell website sharing their heartbreak over the state of the "exceptionally fragile" world and saying they had been left speechless by the Afghanistan crisis.