More people want Prince William to be next monarch than Prince Charles, poll shows
More people want Prince William to be the next monarch than Prince Charles, a new poll has shown.
Prince William was favourite with 47% of people to be king ahead of his father when the Queen dies, according to statistics from Deltapoll.
Charles, 72, who will become king when his mother dies, was only chosen by 27% of respondents as their preferred option for monarch.
Deltapoll asked 1,590 British adults who they would prefer between Charles and William as monarch when the Queen dies, but they also gave the option of no monarch at all.
Nearly a fifth of respondents, 18%, said they did not want a monarchy in Britain.
When people were offered a wider choice of royals to replace the Queen as monarch, William, 38, still came out on top, with 41%.
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He beat his father Charles into second place, whose support dropped to 22%.
Prince Harry was favourite to be the next king with 8% of people, despite the fallout from his interview with Oprah Winfrey – and nearly a quarter (24%) of 18- to 24-year-olds wanted to see him crowned.
Princess Anne was the preferred option by 5% of people, Prince Andrew by 2% of people and Prince Edward by 1%.
With all those options, 14% of people still said they would prefer no monarchy at all.
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Deltapoll co-founder Joe Twyman said: "Deltapoll’s latest results should strike fear into the heart of the Royal Family. Prince Charles is set to inherit the throne, but it is Prince William who is the far more popular option among the British people and among younger respondents it is Prince Harry who comes out on top.
"That is a potential public opinion problem facing the palace that may not be easy to solve."
Graham Smith, chief executive officer of Republic, said the lack of support for Charles could be a crisis for the monarchy.
He told Yahoo UK: "Public opinion is deeply divided on the future of the monarchy, and it’s clear people want a choice when it comes to who our next head of state is. But we won’t get a choice, we’ll be told it’s Charles and that’s that.
"Charles will be a king with just a quarter of the population on his side and little of the affection or respect enjoyed by his mother. This is a recipe for a serious crisis for the monarchy.
"King Charles and the growing republican movement are likely to push public support for abolition of the monarchy well over 50% over the next two decades."
This latest poll follows one for by Redfield and Wilton for The Times Redbox in March that showed that 51% of people wanted the crown to pass straight to Prince William.
About a third, 31%, supported Charles becoming king, as will happen when the Queen dies.
Most people preferred the idea that the Queen should stay in her position until she dies, rather than abdicate, with 41% wanting to see her stay where she is regardless.
But a fifth of people (21%) said she should abdicate, even if she is in good health, while more than a quarter (27%) thought she should abdicate if her health declines.
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The polling by Deltapoll, which was conducted online between 31 March and 1 April, has largely followed similar polling by other companies in terms of reaction to Harry and Meghan's interview with Winfrey.
Respondents were asked if they thought the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had improved or damaged the reputation of the Royal Family, with 51% of people saying it had been damaged.
They were also asked if they supported or opposed stripping the couple of their royal titles, with 58% of people supporting such a move.
A poll in the US after the couple's interview showed Harry had a net favourability ranking of 28, while Meghan had a score of 15, both having lost points compared with before the interview.
In September 2020, a poll in the UK showed that nearly half of people wanted Harry and Meghan to be stripped of their royal titles.
It's incredibly unlikely the Queen would ever remove their titles, which were a wedding gift.
Harry and Meghan have already stopped using the HRH stylings, meaning they are never referred to as His or Her Royal Highness before their duke or duchess title.
There are no plans in place for the crown to bypass Charles, who is the longest serving heir to the throne. Charles was created the Prince of Wales in 1958 and invested formally in the role in 1969 while a student.
The Queen is also unlikely to abdicate, having pledged when she was younger to serve the Commonwealth and the country for her whole life "be it long or short".
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