The most popular British royals of 2024

The Princess of Wales has become the most popular living British royal, beating her husband William, the Prince of Wales.

A YouGov poll carried out in the first three months of the year found that she is "the most well-thought-of royal among the public". Three-quarters of Britons said they had a positive view of Kate Middleton, who revealed in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Overall, 58% of Britons have a positive view of the royal family, said the polling firm, with "younger Britons continuing to have a more negative view".

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Princess of Wales (positive favourability 76)

Kate Middleton has developed an "elegant but accessible image" in recent years, said Alexander Smith at NBC News, and that has "cemented her as Britain's favourite royal".

Her popularity has recovered from the aftermath of the "very public" fallout with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and she has been front and centre of royal family news since the saga of health rumours unfolded earlier this year. 

The Princess has an "inoffensive persona that partly explained the queen's popularity", added Smith, and she remains a royal able to "bring star power to even the most mundane ribbon-cutting event".

Prince of Wales (73)

Prince William has previously topped popularity polls, but now finds himself narrowly in second place to his wife. His popularity was done no harm after he chose to take a break over Easter, "putting his public duties aside to care for his wife", and the future king remains markedly more popular than both his brother and his father, said The Telegraph.

It means William is "very much central to the success of the Carolean age", royal biographer Andrew Morton told Reuters. With the King already in his 70s, "an awful lot of the future of the monarchy rests on the shoulders of Prince William".

Princess Anne (71)

The King's sister remains highly popular. Regularly described as the "most hard-working royal", her "quietly respectful, no-nonsense, practical" approach seems to appeal to the British public, said Juliet Rieden at ABC.

While her positive favourability may be slightly lower than Kate and William's, Princess Anne remains the royal with the lowest negative rating – just 13%, compared to Kate's 15% and William's 21%. 

King Charles (63)

A year on from his coronation, Charles's popularity appears to have stabilised, while as the prince, it "waxed and waned" in his decades in the public eye, said The Telegraph.

He has only made sporadic appearances since his cancer diagnosis in February, but he appears to have "settled into his role as monarch" and that is reflected in a fairly favourable polling result.

Prince Edward (54)

King Charles's youngest brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, maintains a generally positive view amongst the public. He has returned to royal duties to support the monarch after his cancer diagnoses, said The Independent. He and his wife, Sophie, "are part of Charles's slimmed-down working monarchy, introduced after his mother passed away last year".

Queen Camilla (50)

Camilla has often been vilified for her part in the breakdown of Charles's marriage to Diana, but a "calculated and highly successful PR campaign" as well as "continuous diligence, humility, thick skin and determination" has seen her popularity gradually rise, said Tatler.

Still, the Queen Consort clearly splits opinion, but is marginally viewed more favourably with just 41% responding negatively.

Prince Harry (31)

Prince Harry was once one of the most popular royals, but a majority negative view suggests the public still view him as to "blame for the royal split", said the London Evening Standard. 

Though his popularity has marginally increased, he still remains with a split of 61% negative versus 31% positive.

Duchess of Sussex (26)

Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle remains widely unpopular, with her ratings decreasing since last year. Her rating of 26% makes her the second least popular royal. 

Younger people, aged between 18 and 24, tend to be more positive about the Sussexes than older groups, but they are still  "divided in their opinion", said YouGov.

Prince Andrew (6)

Prince Andrew remains the most unpopular royal due to his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which has rocked the family over the past few years. Just 6% said they viewed the Duke of York favourably, while 86% said they had a negative opinion.