Prince William is no longer considered the public's 'favourite royal'

Prince William is no longer considered the public’s ‘favourite royal’

It has been a tough year for the royal family, with both King Charles and the Princess of Wales announcing their cancer diagnoses. While the monarch has continued to work throughout his treatment, Kate Middleton released a video explaining why the public had not seen much of her this year and asked for privacy as she starts preventative chemotherapy and recovers.

Despite the turbulent start to the year, Prince William has been praised for honouring his royal obligations while caring for his wife and family. The Prince of Wales is often considered to be one of the most popular British royals, if not the most popular. However, a new YouGov survey shows that the heir to the throne has just been pipped to the post by another member of the royal family. In new data released this week, the Princess of Wales has been named as the UK’s favourite royal.

According to the survey, over three quarters of Brits (76%) have a favourable view of Kate, which is a six point increase since the start of 2024. She has just a 15% negative approval rating, meaning she has officially replaced her husband on the top spot. Prince William wasn’t far behind in terms of popularity, however, with a 73% positive opinion rating but a slightly higher negative opinion rating than Kate, at 21%.

Following the Wales’ is Princess Anne with a positive opinion score of 71%, King Charles with 63% and Prince Edward with 54%. Further down in last place, Prince Andrew has just 6%, followed by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex with 26% and Prince Harry with 31%.

The data states that favourability for the royals varies between age groups, with those aged between 18 and 24 years old having a generally negative view of the family, but a positive view of the Sussexes. Prince William and Kate Middleton are viewed fairly moderately within the same age group, with half (52%) saying they like Kate, and 49% saying they like William.

A similar survey last year listed Princess Anne and Prince William as the two favourite royals, while in 2019 the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry were crowned the most popular.

The most up-to-date study surveyed 2004 British adults between 2nd and 3rd April 2024.