Is it William winning the hearts of Americans, like Harry wishes he was? After Travis Kelce calls Prince ‘coolest’ royal, how future king has surged in popularity over the pond, while the Sussexes get a lukewarm response

When the Duke of Sussex put down roots in America, he no doubt wanted to capture the hearts of those in his new country.

But it is his older brother, the Prince of Wales, 42, that appears to be better connected with those across the pond.

William’s popularity is so potent that he’s polled much higher among Americans than the country’s own heavyweight public figures, despite the country having their own British prince on home soil.

Analytics firm Gallup asked US voters what they thought about 15 big names on the world stage in 2023, and the heir to the British throne came top, beating homegrown notables President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.

It’s not just members of the public that have taken a liking to William, but also the pop sensation Taylor Swift, 34, and her American football tight end boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also 34.

Gallup acknowledged the ‘surprise’ of an English prince beating the ‘nation’s own democratically elected and appointed leaders’ in their own backyard.

After all, the group said in a statement, Americans waged a war of independence nearly 250 years ago to escape the ‘tyranny of the British crown. ‘It could be the latest sign of how deeply polarized American society has become, they added.

‘The US may need to look beyond its borders to find public figures that a majority of Americans feel good about,’ said the statement. At home, it’s difficult to find somebody who ‘Republicans and Democrats can agree on,’ it added.

The polling group asked more than 1,000 adults nationwide whether they had favourable or unfavourable views of the 15 newsmakers.

The difference between those two percentage scores is their favorability rating. Fully 59 percent of respondents described William favorably, and 22 percent unfavorably. That puts the prince 37 percentage points above water.

Trump, Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence are all underwater by more than 14 points. The only Americans who pass the favorability test are First Lady Jill Biden and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

That same year, a poll conducted by Newsweek found that almost half Americans believe the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be stripped of their royal titles.

The poll, conducted in January 2023, found that 45 per cent of Americans are in favour of Harry and Meghan losing their royal titles, while 26 per cent opposed to the idea, and 28 per cent said they are unsure.