Prince Andrew has suffered a new blow as 91 per cent of Britons say they have a negative opinion of the disgraced royal, the highest-ever recorded according to new YouGov polling.
The amount who view Andrew in a very negative way has jumped by 10 per cent since August, up from 81 per cent.
The jump comes as Andrew is set to leave Royal Lodge and “live apart” from Sarah Ferguson, whose popularity was not recorded in the poll.
The Prince and Princess of Wales remain the most positively viewed royals, with 76 per cent having a good opinion of William and 73 per cent of Kate.
A shocking 91 per cent view Andrew negatively.
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GETTYMeghan Markle is the closest in rankings to Andrew on the unpopularity scale, with 66 per cent having a negative view of Prince Harry’s wife.
Only 30 per cent have a positive view of the Duke of Sussex, and only 21 per cent have a favourable view of Meghan.
King Charles’s popularity has fractionally improved since August, up by three per cent to 62 per cent.
However, 29 per cent still do view the King in a negative light.
King Charles’s popularity bumped up to 62 per cent.
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Nearly six in 10 Britons still have a positive view of the royals as a whole, which has fallen from 65 per cent in August.
Despite this fall, 62 per cent still believe the monarchy should continue, compared to just 25 per cent who feel we should have an elected head of state instead.
What will come as a further blow to Andrew will be only four per cent viewing him favourably, the joint-lowest on record.
This week, it emerged that Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Harvey Weinstein in 2006 at Royal Lodge.
It emerged this week that Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Harvey Weinstein in Royal Lodge.
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The trio visited the mansion in Windsor as part of Princess Beatrice’s masked ball for her 18th birthday celebrations.
Just two months afterwards, a US arrest warrant was issued for Epstein for the sexual assault of a minor.
It had previously been reported that the trio visited Windsor Castle for the event, but not that they had attended Andrew’s private home.
Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein are said to have visited Royal Lodge ahead of the main party, which took place in the state rooms of Windsor Castle, involving a champagne reception and banquet.
When asked why he invited Epstein to Windsor Castle in 2006, Andrew said he ‘wasn’t aware’ about the case surrounding him.
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GETTYAddressing why Andrew invited Epstein to his daughter’s 18th birthday, Andrew told the BBC in a 2019 Newsnight interview: “Certainly I wasn’t aware when the invitation was issued what was going on in the United States, and I wasn’t aware until the media picked up on it because he never said anything about it.”
The prince could also face private prosecution as a campaign group is investigating whether they can launch legal action against the royal.
The anti-monarchy organisation Republic has engaged legal representatives to examine the possibility of pursuing a private prosecution of Prince Andrew.
The charges under consideration include sexual assault, corruption and misconduct whilst holding public office.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied all allegations against him and The Metropolitan Police previously considered the sex assault claims were not sufficient to warrant further investigation.