Harry & Meghan premiered its first three episodes globally on December 8, followed by a final three on December 15.

The show was billed as an “unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” and represented a significant investment for Netflix having signed a multi-million-dollar content creation deal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2020 following their exit from the royal family.

Figures released four days after the first part of the series aired showed that it had been streamed internationally across 81.5 million hours, coming second overall in the chart behind the drama series Wednesday.

Numbers compiled by ratings analyzer BARB showed that in the U.K., 2.4 million viewers tuned into the show’s first episode on television sets on release day (not including phone or tablet streams), and acquired more viewers on a launch day than any other Netflix property since their records began.

It appears Brits stuck with the series for its second and more explosive portion, as the show has stayed leading the country’s top ten chart. Netflix has reported that global hours viewed for the entire series increased in week two to 97.7 million.

This increase has come about despite a significant amount of controversy leveled at the show in the U.K., and the publication of a recent poll showed Harry and Meghan’s popularity has taken a dive in the country.

According to a survey undertaken by YouGov in the U.K. the day after Harry & Meghan part one was released, the couple saw a substantial drop in terms of public popularity. The results see them with -26 and -39 net approval ratings, down from -13 and -32 in November.

The couple’s ratings come in sharp contrast to those of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the couple with whom the Sussexes took the most issue during their series.

William’s popularity stands at +62 with Kate’s at +57.

Though these represent the highest numbers of royal couples surveyed this month, they are also down from +69 and +64 in November, a drop which is consistent across the board following the wave of public support shown to the monarchy after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

During their show’s six episodes, Harry and Meghan made a number of claims about their experiences with the royal family and British tabloid press since going public with their relationship in 2016.

These included Harry attributing blame of the 2020 miscarriage experienced by Meghan to her long-running legal privacy battle with the Mail on Sunday; Meghan describing her first meeting with Kate Middleton as surprisingly formal; and Harry saying that members of his family dismissed Meghan’s treatment at the hands of the press as par for the course of joining the monarchy.

Perhaps the most sensational bombshell revealed in the show was Harry’s description of feeling terrified at the January 2020 “Sandringham summit” meeting in which he negotiated his exit from the royal family.

“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren’t true and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in,” he said of the experience.

So far, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have taken a “no comment” position on the docuseries and claims made within it.

Those in palace circles may be bracing themselves for another round of Sussex allegations made in the form of Harry’s upcoming memoir, titled Spare. The “raw” and “unflinching” account of the royal’s life is expected to present his life story with particular focus on the lessons he has learned along the way.

Reports have speculated that the prince could go into detail about his recollections of the breakdown of his parent’s marriage—including Queen Camilla’s role in this—and the way Princess Diana’s eventual death in 1997, at the age of 36, effected his mental health.

Spare is published globally on January 10, 2022.

Newsweek approached Netflix for comment.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.