King Charles‘ popularity has reportedly dipped to its lowest level since he took the throne. According to a new poll, 58% of the British people now have a positive opinion of the monarch. It was reported that this is down four points since the summer. Meanwhile, royal expert Tom Sykes has shared his analysis of what might be behind it.
Expert analyzes King Charles’ popularity dipping to lowest level since he ascended the throne in new poll
According to a YouGov poll, the share of Britons who see King Charles negatively rose three points to 34%. That is the joint highest under his reign. The poll comes four years into his time on the throne. YouGov did not say what caused the shift.
Tom Sykes discussed the numbers on The Royalist, calling them “devastating.” He said fieldwork took place on October 22 and 23 among 2,116 British adults. The figures reportedly work out to a net favorability of +24. Sykes said dropping below 60% is “a big psychological blow for a British monarch.”
Sykes concluded that “the King is paying the price for bringing Harry back.” He argued that the Sussexes’ return is having an impact. He also claimed that the palace pushed back too little after the Lord Chamberlain’s letter about the couple. Furthermore, Sykes noted that the poll was carried out before the allegations about Thomas Markle Sr. emerged. Those allegations are unproven, and Markle Sr. denies them.
Meanwhile, the poll also shows that opinion of the Sussexes has fallen. Only 29% of Britons have a positive view of Prince Harry, down four points since July, while 60% view him negatively. For Meghan Markle, 20% are positive and 68% are negative. That leaves her with a net rating of -48, the lowest recorded by the tracker to date.
Prince William and Kate Middleton remain the most positively viewed royals, with 72% to 74% seeing them in a positive light. Sykes called them the “stars at the top of the Christmas tree.” Queen Camilla is more divisive, at 42% positive and 45% negative.
Overall, 64% of Britons believe the UK should continue as a kingdom, while 25% would prefer an elected head of state.
