William tipped for king
New poll shows Britons would prefer to have Prince William rather than his father Charles as next monarch.
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Friday, 28, Dec 2007 10:28
The British public would prefer to have Prince William rather than his father Charles as the next monarch, a new poll has showed.
More than half of 1,004 people polled by the Discovery Channel said they would favour the second-in-line to be next to take the throne.
The young prince's popularity is at its highest among 18- to 24-year-olds, with 70 per cent of those surveyed favouring him as the next king, in comparison with just 47 per cent of 55- to 64-year-olds.
The popularity of William's girlfriend Kate Middleton is likely to have cemented his support, with only 18 per cent of respondents opining that she would not make a good addition to the royal family.
But William's stepmother Camilla was revealed to be a much more divisive figure among the public.
While a third of those surveyed said they felt more warmly towards the Duchess of Cornwall since her marriage to Prince Charles, only 42 per cent saw her as a good ambassador for the royals.
And 68 per cent of respondents admitted they still had more admiration for the late Princess Diana than Prince Charles' new wife.
The BBC's former royal correspondent Jennie Bond commented: "Camilla is still facing an uphill struggle for public acceptance. Diana - particularly with the inquest into her death - continues to make headline news and this poll reflects the fact that many people are unwilling ever to forgive or forget the hurt caused to the Princess.
"In my view, Camilla should be accepted for what she is: a loving, fun, happy second wife who makes her husband very contented.
Ms Bond added: "Support for retaining the monarchy remains fairly constant and, some will find, surprisingly high. 76 per cent favour monarchy over republic.
"It is a high approval rate by any measure and is largely due to the constancy of the Queen's long reign. She should give herself a pat on the back for a job well done."