Britons want Prince William as next king instead of Charles, poll suggests

18 per cent said the monarchy should be abolished altogether

Ellie Abraham
Wednesday 07 April 2021 11:35 BST
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(Getty Images)

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As the next in line to the throne, and the heir apparent for many decades, the Queen’s eldest son Prince Charles is due to take the Crown when Her Majesty’s reign comes to an end.

However, a recent poll has suggested that the British public would prefer Charles’ son Prince William be the next king instead.

In a poll conducted by Deltapoll for The Mirror, 1,590 respondents were interviewed between 31 March and 1 April, giving their view on the future of the monarchy, with some interesting results.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of respondents said they want the Duke of Cambridge to become the next king, with only 27 per cent favouring his father, the Prince of Wales.

And when asked who should become monarch when the Queen leaves the throne, 18 per cent of people said there should be no king and Britain should no longer have a monarchy.

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Meanwhile, the poll found 18 to 24-year-olds would prefer Prince Harry to be the next king, beating his brother by one per cent.

The younger brother of Prince William, Harry described feeling “trapped” in the royal family as part of an interview with Oprah Winfrey - one part of the reason he left “The Firm” with his wife Meghan Markle.

The Sussexes have divided opinion, as echoed in the poll, with 51 per cent of respondents saying Harry and Meghan have damaged the monarchy’s reputation.

The Queen will turn 95 on 21 April and her position as reigning monarch was placed up for scrutiny in the poll.

Just 40 per cent of respondents believe the Queen should continue to hold her position until her death.

And 27 per cent believe the Queen should abdicate if her health begins to fail, while one-fifth of respondents think she should abdicate while the longest-serving monarch remains in good health.

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