A new royal has ascended to the throne of popularity among Britons. In a recent Ipsos poll that has royal watchers debating on results, the spotlight shines on Princess Catherine, the Princess of Wales, who has topped the rankings by an astounding margin compared to other royals, including her husband, Prince William, next in line for the throne.
While one might expect Harry to make the top five, if not Meghan, it may come as a surprise that the estranged royal has seen his popularity decline in recent years. This shift is likely due to their controversial decision to step back from royal duties, even as he attempts to make a comeback in the royal arena.
The most and least popular Royals revealed
The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, who underwent a mysterious abdominal surgery in January and later revealed her cancer diagnosis while announcing a temporary break from royal duties to focus on preventative chemotherapy, has won the hearts of 66% of those surveyed, with only 10% expressing an unfavorable opinion of her.
In the Ipsos survey, which gathered opinions from Britons aged 18 to 75 about the royal family, Prince William came in second place as the favorite royal, getting a 65% thumbs up and a 13% thumbs down.
It was a big surprise that Princess Anne, the only daughter of late Queen Elizabeth, made it to the top three with a score of 62%. And even more surprising, only 9% of people had a bad opinion of her.
UK public ‘happy’ with King Charles III reign
The survey conducted among the UK population indicated that the public is relatively happy with King Charles III’s reign, which began in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch continues to demonstrate dedication to his royal duties despite battling cancer. He came in fourth place with a 56% favorability score.
The overall impression of the UK’s Royal Family is quite positive, with 53 percent of locals holding a favorable view of them. “It’s also noteworthy that over half of Britons believe King Charles is performing well in his role, and only a minority want to abolish the monarchy, suggesting a degree of stability in the Royal Family’s image,” said Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos.
Prince Harry and Meghan are the least popular Royal member
It comes as no surprise that Britons have a particular aversion to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Duke Prince Harry, who left the UK in 2020 to settle in California, stepping back from their royal duties. They have since become two of the most disliked members of the royal family.
Only 28 percent of Britons view Prince Harry favorably, while Meghan Markle’s approval rating is even lower at 21 percent. A staggering 46 percent of respondents have an unfavorable view of Harry, and Meghan’s disapproval rating stands at a dismal 53 percent.
Joining them at the bottom of the popularity rankings is Prince Andrew, whose already declining reputation has further suffered due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Only 10 percent of Britons hold a positive opinion of the disgraced royal.
According to IPSOS, Harry and Meghan performed better among the young generation who also supported the idea of Harry making a comeback.
