The public’s overwhelming verdict on Meghan and Harry cashing in by using their titles for commercial gain

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were dealt a fresh blow today when it emerged that a four-to-one majority of Britons are against them using their titles for commercial gain.

An exclusive poll for The Mail on Sunday also shows strong public appetite for Prince William to be more transparent about his finances, amid criticism over his refusal to reveal how much income tax he pays.

The poll shows a significant majority of people do not believe King Charles’ historic visit to the US, where he will meet President Trump five times in four days, should go ahead.

The survey for the MoS follows Harry and Meghan’s four-day visit to Australia, dubbed a ‘fake royal tour’, and raises new questions about whether the couple are cashing in on their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

To the dismay of those within the royal family, the Sussexes were mixing charity work with highly lucrative business deals; This is Queen Elizabeth II. It was exactly what Elizabeth feared when she ordered people to commit to being in or out of the Royal Family.

The late monarch insisted there could be no middle ground on the road to what became known as Megxit when they left the UK to make new lives across the Atlantic six years ago.

On the final day of her Australian tour, Meghan spent two hours with female fans who paid up to £1,700 to ask her questions and pose for photos at the money-making ‘ultimate girls’ weekend in Sydney. The Duchess will reportedly net up to £130,000 to attend the women-only Her Best Life retreat.

Sitting in a pink armchair on a stage reminiscent of daytime television, the Duchess asked the assembled women this question: ‘I’ve spent my whole life investing in women, can I finally invest in myself?’

A Mail on Sunday exclusive poll shows 80 per cent of British people oppose the couple using their titles for financial gain

Meghan, 44, who complained that she was the “most trolled person in the world” while on tour, also reportedly made money from an online shopping platform built around the clothes she wore to charity events.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, 41, appeared as a guest speaker at Melbourne’s InterEdge Summit, where platinum delegate tickets are selling for £1,250. Those close to the Duke and Duchess are said to believe the visit was a huge success and will set the blueprint for future tours.

An insider said: ‘We tested the playbook; It worked.”

But exclusive analysis for the MoS reveals 61 per cent of 2,000 British adults surveyed by Find Out Now believe Harry and Meghan should not be allowed to use their Sussex titles ‘for commercial or personal advantage’.

Only 16 per cent of Britons believed they should be allowed to use their title in money-making ventures, while 23 per cent did not know. When those who don’t know are excluded, the majority is 80 percent to just under 20 percent.

The survey will also make uncomfortable reading for the Prince of Wales at a time of increasing scrutiny over the Duchy of Cornwall, the £1bn portfolio of property, investments and land he took control of when he became heir to the throne. This gives it an income of around £23 million a year.

The Prince voluntarily pays the highest income tax on profits from the Duchy but has not disclosed the amount of tax he pays.

This contrasts with his father, the King, who outlined the income tax he paid when he became heir to the throne.

Earlier this month it was revealed that William had received millions of pounds of public money from the Duchy of Cornwall’s lease of HMP Dartmoor, a category C prison that has stood empty since July 2024 following the discovery of highly toxic gas in Devon.

When asked whether Prince William should be more transparent about where his income comes from and how it is spent, 54 percent of respondents said he should, while 23 percent said he shouldn’t and 23 percent said they didn’t know.

The poll also found that 46 per cent said William would marry Queen Elizabeth II after becoming King. He revealed that he believes the wills of senior royals, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, should be made public.

The survey also found that 54 percent of respondents support Prince William being more transparent about where his income comes from and how it is spent.

It has been customary for over a century for a senior member of the Royal Family to be asked to sign their will by the courts after their death. The wills of the late Queen and Prince Philip have been sealed for at least 90 years.

Our exclusive survey takes place ahead of the third anniversary of King Charles’ coronation at Westminster Abbey and a week before he and Queen Camilla are hosted by President Trump on his state visit to the United States.

It is hoped that the King and Queen’s high-profile visit will ease US-UK tensions over the war in Iran and a series of outbursts, including the President’s taunt that Keir Starmer is ‘no Winston Churchill’.

However, the public does not seem to believe that the King should meet with the President; Less than a third of those surveyed say the state visit should continue.

But there is public support for the Palace’s decision that the King and Queen should not meet the survivors of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein during the visit. The survey found that 45 percent of respondents did not believe they should have met some of Epstein’s victims, while only 24 percent said they should.

The poll also found that 40 per cent of Britons believe King Charles did a good job, while only 16 per cent think he did a bad job. 44 percent said they did not know. When those who do not know are excluded, the figures vary between 71 percent and 29 percent.

The King is expected to renew his oath to serve the country this week as part of commemorations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday.

Tyron Surmon, Director of Research at Find Out Now, said: ‘On the one hand, the public are positive about Charles and think he has done a good job as King. But on the other hand, they think Prince William should be more transparent about his finances and overwhelmingly think the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should not use their titles for commercial gain.

‘This will be a fine line for King Charles and Queen Camilla to walk, especially with their upcoming state visit to the US which the public does not think should go ahead.’