Who are the most popular royals? Surprising names top list in new survey

A new survey has revealed the most popular and unpopular members of the royal family and people may be shocked to find that Prince Harry isn’t as low as they’d think - and the King didn’t make the top three.

Who is the most popular royal?

The royal family has been dominating the headlines of late, with King Charles and Kate Middleton’s double cancer diagnoses sending waves through the monarchy, as well as rumours of a Prince Harry and Prince William reunion swirling in the papers.

However, it was the Princess of Wales’ disappearance from the spotlight at the beginning of the year that really had people talking about the royals. For weeks, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire via British media outlets as people questioned Kate’s health and whereabouts.

The social media storm came to a head when news agencies withdrew Kate’s Mother’s Day picture posted on Instagram after revealing it had been “manipulated”.

However, public speculation quickly turned to sympathy after she confessed to undergoing chemotherapy treatment following her cancer diagnosis in a clip released in March.

Kate, Princess of Wales. Photo / Kensington Palace

Now, after a social media whirlwind, Kate has topped the charts in people’s hearts, ranking as the most popular royal.

According to the latest survey by YouGov, 76 per cent of British people have a positive opinion of the Princess of Wales, who has reached her peak in popularity since before her last appearance on Christmas Day 2023.

Prince William follows closely behind in second place with 73 per cent and Princess Anne, often referred to as the hardest-working royal, ranks in third with 71 per cent.

However, far behind the rest, King Charles came in with only 63 per cent in public support.

Who is the most unpopular royal?

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit from the royal family in 2020 was a catalyst for a lot of negative opinion in the public sphere, it wasn’t enough to overshadow the serious allegations against Prince Andrew and his ties with convicted sex offender and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York was named in a legal deposition filed by Virginia Roberts, who alleged that she was trafficked to him by Epstein for sex at the age of 17.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Photo / Getty Images

The disgraced royal denied the claims in a disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019, which has recently been televised in a new series, Scoop.

Now, Prince Andrew has been voted the most unpopular royal of the British monarchy, with a measly 6 per cent of Brits having a positive opinion of him.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, positively swayed 26 per cent of English fans and Harry came out with 50 per cent on the poll.

The royals ranked by the British public

• Catherine, Princess of Wales – 76 per cent
• Prince William – 73 per cent
• Princess Anne – 71 per cent
• King Charles – 63 per cent
• Prince Edward – 54 per cent
• Camilla, Queen Consort – 50 per cent
• Prince Harry – 50 per cent
• Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – 26 per cent
• Prince Andrew – 6 per cent