Clear Majority of Britons Support Keeping Monarchy after Queen’s Death

A Child sitting on the shoulders of an adult waves a Union Flag outside of Buckingham Pala
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images

The British public overwhelmingly still supports the Constitutional Monarchy system according to a poll taken after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with just 21 per cent opposing keeping the Royal Family on the throne.

As the UK heads into the new Carolean Era under King Charles III, the support for the monarchy remains strong, with a YouGov poll that surveyed 1,727 adults finding that 64 per cent of the public support continuing the monarchy, three times the number who oppose the institution (21 per cent).

The support for the crown has been longstanding, even prior to the outpouring of emotion over the death of the Queen, however, support has waned slightly over the past decade, down from 75 per cent who supported the monarchy during her Diamond Jubilee year in 2012.

The poll this week found that while more people in every age group supported the monarchy than opposed it, older Britons were far more likely to show support, with 84 per cent of those aged 65 saying they want to keep the monarchy compared to 40 per cent among 18-24 year olds. Broken down by political affiliation, 87 per cent of Conservative voters supported retaining the monarchy, compared to 49 per cent of Labour voters and 69 per cent among Liberal Democrats.

When looking toward the legacy of the Queen, who reigned for a record seventy years, 87 per cent of the public believe that she will be seen as one of Britain’s greatest monarchs and 59 per cent saying that they believe she changed the monarchy for the better.

During her reign, the Queen has overcome times of scandal and strife such as the criticism over the Queen’s finances in the early 1990s when she agreed to become the first sovereign to pay income taxes in over six decades and the public backlash after the death of Princess Diana, following which the Queen transformed “The Firm” to become more open to the public.

In her later years, the Crown was also rocked by scandals from her progeny, including the Jefferey Epstein-linked sexual assault allegations made against Prince Andrew, who despite maintaining his innocence has stepped back from his Royal duties. Palace drama was once again stirred up following the controversial decision by Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry to renounce their responsibilities as Royals in favour of money-making ventures in Hollywood, with the woke couple levying allegations of racism against the family.

However, the move against the family has seemingly backfired for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with just 27 per cent of the public wanting them to return to the United Kingdom from America, as opposed to 44 per cent who wish for them to remain abroad.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: A well-wisher kisses the hand of King Charles III during a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, to view messages and tributes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September in Balmoral, on September 9, 2022 in London, England. (Photo Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: A well-wisher kisses the hand of King Charles III during a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, to view messages and tributes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September in Balmoral, on September 9, 2022 in London, England. (Photo Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

On the other hand, Prince Harry’s father, King Charles III has seen his popularity rise following his ascension to the throne, with 63 per cent of the public believing that he will do a good job as King, a six-point increase since May.

The public mood was likely swayed in part by his performance in his first address to the nation, which 94 per cent of those who saw the speech either rating it as having been fairly or very good. 73 per cent of respondents also said they believed that Charles has provided good leadership following the death of his mother.

Support from the British Commonwealth has also apparently been shored up, with a poll revealing this week that a majority of Australians, 60 per cent, believe that the country should retain the British Monarchy as sovereign, an increase of five per cent since 2012.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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