London (AP) – Less than two weeks away from the expected coronation of King Charles III. (74) On May 6, opinion polls cast doubt on the enthusiasm of the British for their royal family. The majority of subjects (58 per cent) are not interested in royalty at all, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the BBC and published over the weekend. Among young adults there are even more opponents than supporters of the monarchy.
The head of the organization of the Republic, Graham Smith, who advocates the abolition of the monarchy in Great Britain, even sees the royal family in crisis. With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the royal family lost its driving force, Smith said at a news conference in London on Monday. He added: “In recent years, the monarchy has been reduced from a balcony full of royals, princes and princesses to four people, which is obviously Charles and Camilla, Kate and William.” There would also be Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, who caused trouble from the side.
Charles will have a harder time than his mother
Pollster John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow thinks Charles will have a harder time keeping the British in check than his mother. Support for the monarchy is essential for Carlos and his successors, writes the scientist in a current report on the state of the monarchy, which London-based think tank UK in a Changing Europe published on Tuesday. “The monarchy may seem secure at the moment, but the base of its popular support needs to be strengthened,” Curtice said.
Curtice notes that support for the monarchy is significantly lower today than it was a few decades ago, especially among younger Britons. For example, in a poll conducted by the Ipsos Institute in January, 64 percent of Britons said they preferred a monarchy to a republic with an elected head of state. There is no direct comparison, but in a 1983 poll, 86 percent of Britons still thought it was important to be a monarchy.
Only 58 percent of Britons in favor of the monarchy
According to the current YouGov poll, only 58 percent of Britons believe their country should remain a monarchy in the future. But many others expressed that they had no interest in the royal family. Smith, an opponent of the monarchy, says his efforts to convince Britons of the redundancy of the royal family are becoming more overt.
The lack of interest among British youth is particularly clear. According to YouGov, 78 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 said they had no interest in royalty. In this age group, those who favor a republic with an elected head of state are also higher, at 38 percent, than supporters of the monarchy (32 percent).
Smith and his comrades in arms want to accompany the procession of the king and his wife Camila (75) in London with a noisy protest at the coronation on May 6 with about 1,000 people. Calls such as “Not my king” (Not my king) and protest posters are expected. Smith advised against throwing eggs: “It’s not a particularly smart way to protest,” he said.
Charles is the head of state of 15 countries.
In other parts of the world, too, support for the British royal family is waning, as constitutional lawyer Craig Prescott of Bangor University in Wales explains in a report by think tank UK In A Changing Europe. Charles is the head of state of 15 countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as smaller states in the Caribbean and Asia Pacific.
Strong republican tendencies can be observed in several countries and a separation from the British crown is also being actively discussed. Apart from island states like Antigua and Barbuda, this also applies to Australia. Barbados has already taken the step in 2021. “In principle, there is no reason why such a reassessment should not take place in the UK as well,” says Prescott. This is more likely when public opinion fundamentally changes, for example, in times of economic or political turmoil.
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