Britons give verdict on King Charles’s handling of family crisis | Royal | News
The Royal Family has weathered the latest storm surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor without a collapse in support for the monarchy. The poll, conducted after the former prince was arrested on suspicion of abusing public office, shows four in 10 Britons think the country would have a worse future if the monarchy was abolished; only 24% say it will lead to a better future.
Almost eight in 10 (78%) have a negative impression of Mountbatten-Windsor. Less than one in 10 (9%) have a positive impression. But the Ipsos survey found that 55% of respondents thought King Charles did a good job, while only 9% thought he did poorly. Only 26 per cent of Britons say the Royal Family has handled the Mountbatten-Windsor issue poorly, while 38 per cent say it has handled it well.
Princess Anne has the third highest preference rating (59%) behind the King (50%) and Queen (34%).
Prince Harry has fallen out of public favor. Forty-two percent have a negative impression of him, with only three having a positive opinion.
The situation is even worse for his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Half of Britons view it negatively, with just 23% viewing it positively.
There is a strong trust in Britain that the monarchy will provide. Seventy-seven percent think it will continue to exist ten years from now; 72% expect it to be there within two decades; and 56% predict Britain will still have a monarchy in 50 years.
Former Leader of the House of Commons Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg expressed his belief that the monarchy would survive.
He said: “The monarchy is a powerful and enduring symbol of the nation. Its development is constitutionally important. Having survived much bigger scandals than this, I am sure it will continue to do so.”
But Graham Smith, of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, said: “I’m pretty sure we’ll become a republic. Asking people to imagine change is very different to asking whether they want it. All indications are that the monarchy is losing support and will continue to do so. People under 50 are increasingly turning against the royals, and with so much scandal and so little attention, the monarchy is on borrowed time. Whether it’s 20 years or 50 years, we’ll see.”
