Prince Charles’ Popularity Has Taken A Nosedive. Here’s Why
Wpa Pool/Getty Images By Maria Scinto/Sept. 23, 2021 10:20 am EST
Poor Prince Charles. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, took the throne as a young woman and has likely been the U.K.’s reigning monarch for longer than most of her subjects have been alive. Charles, on the other hand, is no longer young. In fact, even his sons are entering their middle years. And yet, still he waits.
While we’ve no doubt Charles is genuinely very fond of and close to his royal mum, the fact is, as long as she sits on the throne, he will never get to occupy it. What’s more, there may be more than a few Britons who’d like to see the crown pass him by entirely and go directly to Prince William. So why no love for Charles? According to YouGov’s latest poll, he ranks as only the 7th-most popular royal with an approval rating of just 45%. In comparison, the queen holds the top spot, with a 76% approval rating, with William close behind and Kate Middleton bringing up the third spot. (Down at the bottom, in order, are Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew.) Well, the roots of Prince Charles’ unpopularity go back for a few decades, although recent events haven’t really helped him out much.
This is what’s contributing to a revival in anti-Charles sentiment
Netflix
Over the past quarter-century, Charles’ reputation has never really recovered. Sure, most have come to accept his marriage to Camilla, and he’s managed to keep himself relatively scandal-free. Well, there’s that “cash for honors” thing — according to The Guardian, Charles has been accused of making nice with shady characters in exchange for large donations to his Prince’s Foundation charity. Still, as far as scandals go, it’s nowhere near in the same league as his brother Andrew’s shenanigans. Whether or not people have revised their opinion of Charles solely on the basis of this, it’s hard to say, but there are a few other factors contributing to his recent drop in popularity.
For one thing, as Newsweek says, there are the shots Prince Harry will periodically lob from his Montecito mansion where he complains about how Charles cut him off without a penny — well, it’s possible these complaints may lose Charles a few popularity points with the American audience. What’s really harming him, though, is the TV series “The Crown,” which is rehashing the bad old days of his breakup with Diana for an audience too young to remember when it happened. Polling numbers seem to bear out the “Crown” effect: in June of 2020, there were still 38% of the population who felt that Charles would make a good king. After season four of the Netflix series dropped in November, these numbers dropped by 6%.
It’s possible Prince Charles could see his popularity revive once he takes the throne
Lorna Roberts/Shutterstock
Whether or not the majority of people in Great Britain would like to see Prince Charles take the throne, the British monarchy has never been in the business of playing to popular opinion or letting opinion polls determine matters of succession. Whether Queen Elizabeth does choose to abdicate (perhaps in time for her own 100th birthday) or retains her crown for the rest of her life, it’s more than likely that Charles will be the next monarch and William will have to wait for his turn.
As royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express, he fully expects to see Charles’ popularity shoot was up once he does take the throne. After all, he points out, Charles has been very visible standing in for the queen, supporting various charities, and working as an environmental activist, and once he’s king, he’s expected to continue in this role. Fitzwilliams suspects that ageism may be at the root of Charles’ mediocre poll numbers, saying “It’s very much the case, probably, that he’s near 72 and when someone has been in that position, it’s very easy to take what they do for granted.” Once he’s king, though, he’ll no longer be the boy who waited (and waited, and waited), but he’ll be the man in charge, and it’s likely that over the next 20 years or so, he will age into the same sort of beloved, iconic, nation’s grandfather-type figure as his father, the late Prince Philip.
Prince Charles’ Popularity Has Taken A Nosedive. Here’s Why
Wpa Pool/Getty Images
By Maria Scinto/Sept. 23, 2021 10:20 am EST
Poor Prince Charles. His mother, Queen Elizabeth, took the throne as a young woman and has likely been the U.K.’s reigning monarch for longer than most of her subjects have been alive. Charles, on the other hand, is no longer young. In fact, even his sons are entering their middle years. And yet, still he waits.
While we’ve no doubt Charles is genuinely very fond of and close to his royal mum, the fact is, as long as she sits on the throne, he will never get to occupy it. What’s more, there may be more than a few Britons who’d like to see the crown pass him by entirely and go directly to Prince William. So why no love for Charles? According to YouGov’s latest poll, he ranks as only the 7th-most popular royal with an approval rating of just 45%. In comparison, the queen holds the top spot, with a 76% approval rating, with William close behind and Kate Middleton bringing up the third spot. (Down at the bottom, in order, are Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew.) Well, the roots of Prince Charles’ unpopularity go back for a few decades, although recent events haven’t really helped him out much.
While we’ve no doubt Charles is genuinely very fond of and close to his royal mum, the fact is, as long as she sits on the throne, he will never get to occupy it. What’s more, there may be more than a few Britons who’d like to see the crown pass him by entirely and go directly to Prince William. So why no love for Charles? According to YouGov’s latest poll, he ranks as only the 7th-most popular royal with an approval rating of just 45%. In comparison, the queen holds the top spot, with a 76% approval rating, with William close behind and Kate Middleton bringing up the third spot. (Down at the bottom, in order, are Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew.) Well, the roots of Prince Charles’ unpopularity go back for a few decades, although recent events haven’t really helped him out much.
Prince Charles’ popularity plummeted due to his marital troubles
Georges De Keerle/Getty Images
This is what’s contributing to a revival in anti-Charles sentiment
Netflix
Over the past quarter-century, Charles’ reputation has never really recovered. Sure, most have come to accept his marriage to Camilla, and he’s managed to keep himself relatively scandal-free. Well, there’s that “cash for honors” thing — according to The Guardian, Charles has been accused of making nice with shady characters in exchange for large donations to his Prince’s Foundation charity. Still, as far as scandals go, it’s nowhere near in the same league as his brother Andrew’s shenanigans. Whether or not people have revised their opinion of Charles solely on the basis of this, it’s hard to say, but there are a few other factors contributing to his recent drop in popularity.
For one thing, as Newsweek says, there are the shots Prince Harry will periodically lob from his Montecito mansion where he complains about how Charles cut him off without a penny — well, it’s possible these complaints may lose Charles a few popularity points with the American audience. What’s really harming him, though, is the TV series “The Crown,” which is rehashing the bad old days of his breakup with Diana for an audience too young to remember when it happened. Polling numbers seem to bear out the “Crown” effect: in June of 2020, there were still 38% of the population who felt that Charles would make a good king. After season four of the Netflix series dropped in November, these numbers dropped by 6%.
For one thing, as Newsweek says, there are the shots Prince Harry will periodically lob from his Montecito mansion where he complains about how Charles cut him off without a penny — well, it’s possible these complaints may lose Charles a few popularity points with the American audience. What’s really harming him, though, is the TV series “The Crown,” which is rehashing the bad old days of his breakup with Diana for an audience too young to remember when it happened. Polling numbers seem to bear out the “Crown” effect: in June of 2020, there were still 38% of the population who felt that Charles would make a good king. After season four of the Netflix series dropped in November, these numbers dropped by 6%.
It’s possible Prince Charles could see his popularity revive once he takes the throne
Lorna Roberts/Shutterstock
Whether or not the majority of people in Great Britain would like to see Prince Charles take the throne, the British monarchy has never been in the business of playing to popular opinion or letting opinion polls determine matters of succession. Whether Queen Elizabeth does choose to abdicate (perhaps in time for her own 100th birthday) or retains her crown for the rest of her life, it’s more than likely that Charles will be the next monarch and William will have to wait for his turn.
As royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express, he fully expects to see Charles’ popularity shoot was up once he does take the throne. After all, he points out, Charles has been very visible standing in for the queen, supporting various charities, and working as an environmental activist, and once he’s king, he’s expected to continue in this role. Fitzwilliams suspects that ageism may be at the root of Charles’ mediocre poll numbers, saying “It’s very much the case, probably, that he’s near 72 and when someone has been in that position, it’s very easy to take what they do for granted.” Once he’s king, though, he’ll no longer be the boy who waited (and waited, and waited), but he’ll be the man in charge, and it’s likely that over the next 20 years or so, he will age into the same sort of beloved, iconic, nation’s grandfather-type figure as his father, the late Prince Philip.
As royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express, he fully expects to see Charles’ popularity shoot was up once he does take the throne. After all, he points out, Charles has been very visible standing in for the queen, supporting various charities, and working as an environmental activist, and once he’s king, he’s expected to continue in this role. Fitzwilliams suspects that ageism may be at the root of Charles’ mediocre poll numbers, saying “It’s very much the case, probably, that he’s near 72 and when someone has been in that position, it’s very easy to take what they do for granted.” Once he’s king, though, he’ll no longer be the boy who waited (and waited, and waited), but he’ll be the man in charge, and it’s likely that over the next 20 years or so, he will age into the same sort of beloved, iconic, nation’s grandfather-type figure as his father, the late Prince Philip.
