Plummeting UK Royal Family Approval Ratings Spark Debate Over Monarchy’s Future

Britons’ support for the monarchy is edging upward as fresh polling shows the UK royal family’s approval ratings holding steady—and in some cases reaching record highs. The latest YouGov favourability tracker (fieldwork July 2026) finds 68 % of adults think King Charles III is doing a good job, the strongest score since his accession, while 62 % view him favourably overall. The Prince and Princess of Wales remain the crown’s most valuable assets: 76 % of respondents have a positive opinion of Prince William and 74 % say the same about Catherine, figures essentially unchanged over the past three years. Princess Anne follows on 70 %, reaffirming her long-standing status as one of the most respected royals. Queen Camilla divides opinion almost down the middle (43 % favourable vs 44 % unfavourable), yet even that marks a significant rehabilitation compared with the 2000s. By contrast, the Sussexes are still underwater: only 33 % see Prince Harry positively and just 22 % hold a favourable view of Meghan; both remain eclipsed by a 58–65 % negative sentiment. The lowest score in the poll again belongs to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with a mere 2 % favourable rating against 92 % unfavourable. Beyond individual personalities, faith in the institution itself is resilient. Roughly six in ten Britons (57–60 %) say they have a favourable view of the royal family overall, and 64 % believe the UK should remain a monarchy. A majority (54 %) also consider the royals good value for money, undercutting republican arguments as the Sovereign Grant continues to rise. Generational and partisan divides persist: support tops 80 % among over-65s but slips to the mid-40s for 18- to 34-year-olds, mirroring trends seen since the late Elizabethan era. Politically, 90 % of Conservative voters give the King a thumbs-up compared with 57 % of Greens. Why the bump for Charles? Pollsters cite a calmer news cycle following the coronation, a vigorous schedule of regional visits and his high-profile climate diplomacy ahead of COP32. Meanwhile, William and Catherine’s “future-facing” agenda—including youth mental-health programmes and a sustainable-housing initiative—appears to be resonating with swing voters in the Midlands and North. With party-conference season finished and an election on the horizon, both Labour and Reform UK strategists are watching these numbers closely. A popular monarch can still move the dial in marginal constituencies—especially when royal walkabouts flood local media. For now, the House of Windsor goes into the winter sitting on its strongest approval ratings of Charles’s reign, leaving republican campaigners to wonder when, if ever, their moment will come.