royalty
Majority of Britons for the monarchy
Great Britain’s King Charles III. and Queen Camilla after the coronation ceremony. photo
© Frank Augstein/AP/dpa
Are the British tired of their monarchy? In a survey, a majority is in favor of preserving the royal family. However, the support for the royals is dwindling among the younger generation.
Almost a year after the death of the Queen on September 8, 2022, a clear majority of Britons want to retain the monarchy as a form of government. This is the result of a survey by the opinion research institute YouGov. Accordingly, 62 percent of Britons want to continue in one live kingdom. Almost a quarter (26 percent) want an elected head of state instead. 11 percent are not sure.
Fears that support for the royals could collapse dramatically with the death of Elizabeth II did not come true. The number of monarchy supporters has been just over the 60 percent mark for years. Only directly after the Queen’s death did it briefly rise to 67 percent. It should also be noted that the supporters of the monarchy, at 71 percent, are much more likely to express that they see this as an emotional issue than the opponents of the royal family (50 percent), according to a statement by YouGov.
With their new king, Charles III. (74), according to the survey, 60 percent of the subjects are also satisfied. Six in ten say they have a positive opinion of their monarch, with almost as many (59 percent) saying he is doing a good job.
According to the survey, only three royals are more popular than the king: almost three quarters of Britons (74 percent) have a good impression of the heir to the throne Prince William (41). In second place is Princess Anne, the king’s 73-year-old sister, with 73 percent approval, closely followed by William’s wife Princess Kate (41), who sees 72 percent in a positive light.
The most unpopular is the king’s brother, Prince Andrew (63), who has fallen into disrepute for his involvement in an abuse scandal. 88 percent of subjects have a negative opinion of him. Prince Harry (38) and his wife Duchess Meghan (42) also have more opponents than supporters, who are seen in a bad light by 63 and 68 percent of Britons respectively.
The Royals should also be concerned that support for the monarchy is falling significantly among younger age groups. In the 18 to 24 age group, rejection predominates. In this group, 40 percent of respondents said they would prefer a republic, while only 37 percent said they would prefer a monarchy.