The younger generation of royals has gained a large following in recent years, and now a new survey has revealed their hard work to win over the public has paid off.
A YouGov poll released on Tuesday found the young royals are some of the most popular in the family, with Prince Harry named the UK’s favourite member of the family. The poll measured members of the family against three key criteria: positive opinion, negative opinion and neutral opinion.
Harry has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years having put his partying days behind him to focus his efforts on veterans affairs and mental health advocacy. The 34-year-old received a positive opinion rate of 77 per cent from the British public and was described as admirable, likeable, humorous, fun-loving and genuine.
Not far behind was the Queen, who ranked in second place with a 74 per cent approval rate, while Prince William closely followed his grandmother in third place.
The Duchess of Cambridge is the second most popular woman in the royal family with a 64 per cent positive opinion rate and was described by royal fans as a good role model, attractive, genuine, beautiful and friendly. The family’s newest addition, the Duchess of Sussex, came in at sixth place, just behind the now-retired Prince Phillip.
Although he’s set to ascend the throne in the coming years, Prince Charles’s struggle to woo the public is still evident as he came in seventh place with just 48 per cent of Brits voting him as their favourite. His wife Camilla proved even less popular with the public with only 29 per cent saying they had a positive opinion of the future Queen consort, putting her in 10th place overall.
The couple has faced an uphill battle since their relationship was made official in the late 1990s, when their approval ratings were even more dire. Since then, the pair have worked hard to improve their standing with the public across the Commonwealth.
Although she has far less royal responsibility than her brother, Princess Anne came in eighth place just one percentage point behind Charles, followed by her daughter Zara Phillips with 43 per cent of voters saying they had a positive opinion of her. The Queen’s daughter was described as hard working, admirable, strong, a good role model and committed.
The Countess of Wessex came in 11th place followed by her husband, the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, on 27 per cent.
Princess Beatrice proved slightly more popular than her younger sister Princess Eugenie at 25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew proved to be the least favourite royal in 15th place with an approval rating of just 22 per cent.
Read more: ‘So proud’: Harry on Prince Charles walking Meghan down the aisle
The Duke of York raised eyebrows in October when he splashed out on a lavish wedding for his daughter, Princess Eugenie who married Jack Brooksbank at the same venue Harry and Meghan said ‘I do’. The extravagant affair was estimated to cost about £2.7 million (AU$4.8 million) with security around Windsor Castle and the flower arrangements the most expensive parts of the day.
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