A new report has revealed that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is more popular than Meghan Markle in the United States, despite the former actress actually being an American. It’s another example of how the Sussex’s extensive and overwhelming media campaign vying for likeability has backfired, and that moving away from the royal family has done nothing but damage her image.

Most in the United States consider the British royals like supersized and untouchable celebrities who live in a fairytale like existence that’s elite, even among the elite. From Princess Grace to Princess Diana, Americans have especially been in love with charismatic and female members of the royal families.

By any stretch of the imagination, Meghan Markle should have fit that Princess Grace and Princess Diana mold. A former actress, she seemed to have the glamour of an a-list actress like Grace and the compassion of a new millennia Diana.

But it was all a façade, and her veneer has been revealed as that of a low-class hustler who’s less than half as popular as her sister-in-law in her own home country.

A poll conducted by The Sun determined that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is preferred by 68.2% of Americans, while Meghan is preferred by only 31%. 

Ouch, that’s got to hurt.

As Christopher Andersen, an American royal commentator, explained: “Kate has become an even bigger superstar without ever setting foot here.”

It’s true, and it must enrage Meghan.

He went onto say, “She embodies everything Americans expect in a princess destined to become Queen—beauty, grace, regal bearing and the ability to connect. 

“Whatever royal scandal is making headlines, the Duchess of Cambridge sails above it all.”

She certainly does, while Meghan seems to walk obliviously head first into controversy, stepping on one landmine after another. 

As a woman who’s been in the media spotlight for over 10 years, Catherine knows that less is always more and that silence is golden. 

Jesus Enrique Rosas, who hosts the YouTube channel The Body Language Guy, gave some great insights into Catherine’s durability.

Rosas begins: “It is not difficult to pinpoint why Kate leads in popularity. And the first reason is one very easy to grasp, once you answer a very simple question; how many times have you heard Catherine talking on a video? 

“I mean, any video, or clip that you’ve seen of her, how many times have you seen her talking?”

The answer is very few. In fact, before her engagement interview, the British public never heard her utter a sing word with the exception of one paparazzi video where she was quietly and firmly asking them to leave her alone.

“It’s a strange question, right? But it’s important to establish how perception or the perception of a person works,” Rosas continues.

“It’s even more relevant if you try to remember the most striking or memorable moment of Kate – did she need to talk, or was she talking, or giving a public speech during that moment you remember?”

“Just from the past year, we still have a fresh [memory] of the golden dress from the James Bond premiere, and her appearance at the Earthshot prize. 

“But the fact that her appearances have been mostly an exercise in body language, it’s not that she doesn’t give speeches, it’s that in more of her appearances, we cannot hear her talk.” 

Meghan in comparison, we hear from her all of the time. And, as Rosas rightly points out, “what she has said has worked in the exact opposite of what she intended.”

Catherine is on the opposite end of a spectrum. She’s quiet, and only speaks when necessary. This gives her an air of mystery, a quality to herself that people want to see and know more of.

Rosas goes onto say: “Mystery is something that every single person should be able to handle in a healthy way. You should never reveal everything about you in one sitting, because you’ll instantly become boring. 

“I know I’m oversimplifying this concept, but it’s literally applies to everything. There is no way a personality can be interesting, there is no way you can be interesting, if you don’t nurture a bit of mystery around yourself.”

Catherine is rather mysterious, we don’t know a ton about her really, except that she is very athletic, loves photography and is very family oriented. When it comes to Meghan Markle, we know far too much about her, her family, her thoughts and beliefs, and much of the information we know is often contradictory.

We’re told that Meghan is the most loving and kind woman in the world, but her staff have accused her of bullying. She has told us that she essentially lived in poverty with a $4.99 meal at Sizzler as a privilege, but her father was an award-winning lighting director and she went to private schools.

So, what’s the truth, what’s fake? It’s hard to know, but when it comes to Catherine, she lets us in an appropriate amount and keeps a lot of her life private. This gives her a bit of mystery, she’s a bit of a sphinx who’s difficult to figure out. She’s much like most of the royal family this way, while Meghan took the Kardashian approach and overly shared every thought and feeling.

That’s why Catherine is beloved and growing in popularity, while Meghan is seeing hers continuing to plummet.