Prince William preferred king over Charles when Queen's reign ends, poll reveals

Prince William tells the press that the royal family is not racist. Video / Sky News

Royal subjects want the crown to go straight to Prince William when the Queen's reign ends instead of going to Prince Charles, a new poll shows.

Nearly half of British citizens polled want William as the next monarch, with just 27 per cent casting their vote for Charles, reports The Sun.

But those aged between 18 and 24 were more keen to see Prince Harry take the throne, in spite of the fact that he's sixth in line.

And 18 per cent of those polled did not want Britain to have a monarchy, according to the Mirror. It's based on a survey by Deltapoll interviewing 1590 adults from March 31 and April 1.

The poll also showed that over 40 per cent of Britons want the Queen to remain in her position as Queen until her death.

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Meanwhile, 27 per cent believe the longest-reigning monarch should abdicate, but only if she is in ill health.

Although 72-year-old Charles is next in line, 47 per cent of those polled would rather see William, 39, take over. This comes despite a huge drive from the Palace to restore Charles' public image over the past couple of decades following his divorce from Princess Diana.

More than half of Britons believe Harry and Meghan Markle have damaged the monarchy's reputation. This comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey last month.

The couple made some astonishing claims during their chat with the talk show queen, including that a member of the royal family had made racist comments about Meghan and about the couple's son Archie.

A new poll has shown who of the royals is most popular when it comes to the crown. Photo / Getty Images

Meghan also claimed she was denied mental health support by the royal family after revealing that she'd had suicidal thoughts.

The couple also claimed they'd had a secret wedding three days before the royal wedding watched by millions around the world - but the Archbishop of Canterbury himself has confirmed that the first "wedding" was not legally binding.

Harry also told Oprah that he feels let down by his family, barely speaking to his brother William.

He also claimed that he was financially cut off by the royal family last year and that his father Charles stopped taking his calls after Megxit.

There was a "lot of hurt" between him and his dad, Harry said, while insisting he and Meghan had not "blindsided" the Queen when they announced they were stepping back as senior working royals.

Harry said he loved William "to bits", but he and his brother were on different paths.