King Charles has received a major vote of confidence ahead of his Coronation with more than half of the country saying the institution of the monarchy is ‘good for Britain’.
A comprehensive new poll for The Mail’s new Royals site shows that nearly six in ten of respondents believe we should retain a monarch as head of state.
And that, with just over two weeks to go until King Charles III and Queen Camilla are crowned, a healthy majority – nearly two thirds – believe he will make a good king.
Only 23 per cent said they were in favour of a republic and 51 per cent said they believed Britain would still have a monarchy in 50 years’ time.
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A comprehensive new poll for MailOnline’s new Royals site shows that nearly six in ten of respondents believe we should retain a monarch as head of state
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With just over two weeks to go until the Coronation, almost two thirds of the public believe Charles will make a good king
But there is also growing support for a slimmed-down institution in the future, with three quarters of those polled saying that Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, four, should have to work for a living when they grow up, rather than being funded by taxpayers.
Their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, remain enduringly popular, however, and have even increased their share of support, particularly when compared to Harry and Meghan.
Seventy one per cent of respondents believe that William and Kate are good role models for the country, compared to just 14 per cent for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Interestingly, that is a rise of seven per cent for the Prince and Princess of Wales since 2020, suggesting Harry and Meghan’s repeated blows have failed to land.
People also overwhelmingly believe that William and Kate ‘better represent modern Britain’ – 64 per cent to the Sussexes 21 per cent – another significant rise.
Sixty four percent of respondents are in favour of the fifth in line to the throne being stripped of his position given his departure as a working royal and litany of attacks on his family and the institution.
Calls to downgrade disgraced Prince Andrew are also up, with a decisive 79 per cent of respondents saying they would like to see him similarly deposed.
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Fifty per cent of participants said they believe it right that Charles acceded the throne after his mother, with 35 per cent saying it should have skipped a generation and passed to William
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Seventy one per cent believe that William and Kate are role models for the country.
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It is one of the most comprehensive surveys of its kind since the death of Queen Elizabeth, examining everything from who is perceived to provide best value for money and is more in touch with the average British person, to whether the King was right to invite Harry to his coronation and will make interesting reading for Buckingham Palace.
Unsurprisingly, the late Queen Elizabeth led the field of those respondents believed to have made a positive contribution to the United Kingdom, closely followed by Prince William on 49 per cent.
His wife, Kate, who is currently spearheading a campaign to provide support for the under fives came a close third on 47 per cent.
ROYAL POLL RESULTS
More than half the public (52 per cent) think the monarchy is good for Britain
Nearly six in ten (59 per cent) believe Britain should remain a monarchy. Fewer than a quarter (23 per cent) favour a republic
Just over half (51 per cent) think Britain will be a monarchy in 50 years
Seventy one per cent think William and Kate are good role models, compared with 14 per cent for Harry and Meghan
Nearly two thirds, 64 per cent, think Charles will be a good king
A majority (57 per cent) believe Charles should continue to speak out on issues that concern him
More of the public (50 per cent) believe Charles should have succeeded Queen Elizabeth than William (35 per cent)
Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) think that Charlotte and Louis should eventually earn some money by working
Nearly four fifths (79 per cent) would remove Prince Andrew from the line of succession. Sixty four per cent would remove Harry
There is relatively little support for Camilla being called Queen, with 36 per cent saying she should be Queen Consort and 23 per cent favouring no title at all
While the King, who has spent his life devoted to public service and set up inspirational organisations such as The Prince’s Trust, scored 41 per cent, his late wife, Princess Diana awkwardly pipped him to fourth position with 44 per cent.
Trailing in at the bottom was Prince Andrew with just two per cent, Meghan with four per cent, the Queen grandson, Peter Phillips, with six per cent and then Harry with nine per cent.
Interestingly, given the often-heated public debate over the years over his alleged ‘meddling’ in politics, 57 per cent of respondents said they believed King Charles should continue to speak out on issues and current affairs that matter to him, suggesting that his campaigning on issues such a climate change and the environment have struck a chord with the public. Thirty per cent said he should not.
And fifty per cent said they believe it right that he acceded the throne after his mother, with 35 per cent saying it should have skipped a generation and passed to William.
An encouraging 64 per cent said they think Charles will be a good king, with just 17 per cent disagreeing.
And despite the many brickbats thrown at him by Prince Harry over the last few years, 43 per cent said they believed he has been a good father to his two sons, with 32 per cent replying in the negative.
There is less good news for his wife, Queen Camilla, however.
The overwhelming majority of those surveyed say they believe she should not have been given the title.
Just 14 per cent said they believed it was appropriate, compared to 36 per cent who said she should have remained Queen Consort. Twenty three per cent said she should have remained a private citizen, despite the wishes of the late Queen.
Turning to the Coronation on May 6, when asked which family members should be allowed to attend, almost all scored highly in the affirmative.
The lowest score was for Prince Andrew, the Duke of York: just 37 per cent of respondents said he should be present, with 51 per cent stating he unequivocally should not.
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Calls to downgrade disgraced Prince Andrew are up, with a decisive 79 per cent of respondents saying they would like to see him removed from the line of succession
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A majority of those surveyed say they believe Camilla should not have been given the title of Queen. The most popular alternative was for her to have remained ‘Queen Consort’
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The Prince and Princess of Wales remain enduringly popular and have even increased their share of support, particularly when compared to Harry and Meghan (pictured)
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The late Queen Elizabeth led the field of those respondents believed to have made a positive contribution to the United Kingdom
There also appears to be support for the King’s much-debated decision to invite his estranged younger son.
Fifty per cent said Harry should be allowed to attend, with 39 per cent disagreeing, suggesting Charles’ instincts were right.
A further 56 per cent, polled before Buckingham Palace’s recent announcements that the prince would be coming while Meghan remained in California, said the Sussexes should be ‘sat prominently’. Twenty seven per cent disagreed.
Respondents also appeared to back Charles’ decision to allow Harry and Meghan’s children, Archie and Lilibet, to be known as Prince and Princess: 44 per cent said it was right, 33 pert cent wrong with a further 23 per cent saying they did not know.
Harry also divided opinion when it came to recent criticism of his family through his Netflix documentary, memoir and numbers interviews.
Just 16 per cent say they support him, with almost double that number – 31 per cent – saying they do not agree with his decision at all.
A further 29 per cent stated they understood his motivation but felt he should not be doing it in such a public way, with 12 per cent saying he had the right to express his views up to a certain point but had now gone too far.
But the public’s views appear to be clearer on whether the Sussexes are entitled to taxpayer-funded security.
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Respondents appeared to back Charles’ decision to allow Harry and Meghan’s children, Archie and Lilibet, to be known as Prince and Princess
Just 14 per cent said they should be, with an overwhelming majority of 74 per cent saying they should pay for it themselves.
Support for the couple to retain their titles has also plummeted.
More than half of those polled – 55 per cent – say they should lose their duke and duchess titles entirely. Just 23 per cent now think they should keep them.
Asked whether Prince Harry or Prince Andrew – forced to step down by his late mother in the wake of the Epstein scandal – have done more damage to the monarchy, there is little to choose between them.
Forty three cent pumped for Harry, with 46 per cent for his uncle.
