Pollsters – who spoke to 2,000 people across the country – conducted the most detailed breakdown to date of what ordinary Britons think of the couple. Nearly half of those questioned declared themselves as royal fans so the balance of the results is assured. The poll revealed sharp criticism of the Sussexes’ spending millions of pounds of public money and their political agenda. 

Royal expert Phil Dampier said the backlash has come as no surprise, stating: “Harry and Meghan have been their own worst enemies in recent months.” 

However, the couple have won public support for bringing up baby Archie in private and for speaking out against racism. 

And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who celebrates her 38th birthday today, also got more backing from young people who appreciate their more informal approach to royal life. 

Seven out of 10 people (71 per cent) surveyed by OnePoll said the public should not pay towards their lifestyle. 

Harry and Meghan have faced enormous criticism over the £2.4million of taxpayers’ cash lavished on restoring their Frogmore Cottage home near Windsor Castle. 

A majority of self-declared royalists in the poll – 58 per cent – also agreed that the Sussexes should not get their hands on public money. 

Aides expect further bills next year on the cottage, with a total rising to around £3.5million once the work is finished. 

The costs were revealed just as the couple began to attract criticism for their constant demands for privacy. 

The finances of the Duke – who has not had a salary since he left the Army four years ago – include taxpayer cash and royal estate income. 

Harry also has a private trust fund created with cash left to him by his mother Princess Diana and the Queen Mother which is around £300,000 a year. 

His office costs are funded by his father, the Prince of Wales through the Duchy of Cornwall estate. 

Charles previously gave £4million a year to fund Harry and brother William’s joint household and office. 

But now Harry has severed links with his brother, aides expect Charles to divide the sum with William – as heir to the throne – receiving £3million and Harry £1million. The Royal Family insists that Duchy income is private, not public, money. 

However, all of Harry and Meghan’s round-the-clock police protection is paid by the taxpayer as well as their transport to and from official engagements. 

The couple has the added problem of America’s IRS taxmen investigating their accounts due to Meghan’s US citizenship. 

Anything considered a benefit in kind – homes, jewellery, clothing and even access to Harry’s cash – is liable to be taxed. 

The exclusive poll also revealed the public’s distaste for the Sussexes’ involvement in trendy political causes and issues. 

A majority of those asked – 56 per cent – thought they and other royals should keep out of politics. 

The couple have raised eyebrows over their agenda on fashionable issues, including Harry’s climate change speech, which he gave barefoot, at a Google Camp in Palermo, Sicily, last week. 

His audience of adoring celebrities and VIPs had arrived at the luxury venue in 114 private jets and a flotilla of superyachts to hear lectures on how ordinary people waste resources. 

But the couple received significant public support over whether some of the criticism was down to hostility to Meghan’s dual-heritage background. 

Harry – in the September edition of Vogue which the Duchess guest-edited – spoke candidly about how racism is unconsciously “handed down from generation to generation”. 

Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) of those polled thought there was a racist element to the anti-Meghan criticism. 

The figure rose to 45 per cent among royalists and hit 51 per cent in the 18 to 24 age group. 

And despite criticism for the secrecy surrounding their son Archie’s birth, a clear majority – 56 per cent – back the Sussexes’ belief that the royal baby should grow up in private. 

But Meghan’s demands for privacy when she is not on royal duties met with mixed results. 

While nearly one in four (23 per cent) said she had no right to privacy, nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) said her privacy should be respected. 

And among 18 to 24-year-olds, seven in 10 (71 per cent) backed the Duchess’s right to privacy. 

More than a third – 38 per cent – also said any mistakes made by Meghan in public life could be blamed on a lack of preparation for her royal role. 

Of Meghan’s US family, half of respondents said royal aides should not try to build bridges with them. 

She has endured constant criticism from her relatives in the US, who have complained that she has cut them off. 

But there was little support for the Duchess to ever become Queen Meghan. 

Just a quarter said they would accept her. By contrast nearly half said they would reject her. 

The jury is also still out on whether she has improved or tarnished the reputation of the Royal Family. 

While less than one in four (23 per cent) said she had improved the royals’ standing, 27 per cent said she had brought it down. 

Her support was stronger in the 18 to 24 age group where one in three (33 per cent) said she had improved the Royal Family’s image. 

Two-thirds of those asked said they were not worried about the Royal Family’s future in the hands of younger royals like Harry and Meghan. 

However, people were torn over whether the Sussexes – who will visit South Africa in the autumn – should forge a new future overseas. 

Of those asked, 34 per cent said the couple were right to consider it while 29 per cent were against the idea. Again, support was higher in the younger age bracket where 40 per cent backed a move to Africa. 

● The poll of 2,000 people was carried out by OnePoll. See OnePoll.com for details 

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