British Royal Family Approval Ratings Ranked: Catherine Leads, Andrew Trails
Catherine, Princess of Wales, consistently ranks high in favorability polls within the U.K. royal family, a status she has upheld despite her cancer diagnosis in 2024. She first crossed paths with Prince William at the University of St Andrews, and the couple wed in 2011. Following Queen Elizabeth II's passing, she was named Princess of Wales in September 2022. In 2021, she established her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which was succeeded by the Shaping Us campaign in January 2023. By September 2024, she announced the completion of her chemotherapy, with remission confirmed in January 2025. Prince William, who initiated the Earthshot Prize in 2020, holds the second spot in favorability. King Charles III, crowned in May 2023, revealed his cancer treatment in February 2024. Meanwhile, Prince Harry's popularity has waned since his departure in 2020, and Prince Andrew's favorability plummeted after his 2019 interview and subsequent settlement in 2022.
Key facts
- Catherine, Princess of Wales, has consistently ranked at or near the top of YouGov's royal popularity tracker, with her standing holding through her 2024 cancer diagnosis.
- Prince William ranks second in most U.K. royal favorability surveys, above King Charles III, and launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020.
- Queen Elizabeth II held the top spot in YouGov's rankings until her death in September 2022, after a 70-year reign that began in February 1952.
- King Charles III polls below his son William and daughter-in-law Catherine, despite a modest lift after becoming king in September 2022.
- Prince George, born July 2013, is second in line to the throne and among the best-liked younger royals.
- Princess Charlotte, born May 2, 2015, was the first British princess to benefit from the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, which ended male-preference primogeniture.
- Zara Tindall won the individual world title at the 2006 World Equestrian Games and a team silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
- Prince Andrew sits at or near the bottom of every major U.K. royal favorability survey, with his standing collapsing after his November 2019 BBC Newsnight interview and subsequent events.
Entities
Artists
- Catherine, Princess of Wales
- Prince William
- Queen Elizabeth II
- King Charles III
- Prince George
- Princess Charlotte
- Zara Tindall
- Princess Anne
- Prince Harry
- Prince Andrew
- Diana, Princess of Wales
- Meghan Markle
- Camilla Parker Bowles
- Prince Philip
- Mike Tindall
- Jeffrey Epstein
- Virginia Giuffre
- Oprah Winfrey
- Prince Louis
- Princess Margaret
- Mia Tindall
- Lena Tindall
- Lucas Tindall
Institutions
- YouGov
- Ipsos
- Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood
- Earthshot Prize
- Homewards
- Invictus Games
- BBC
- Newsnight
- Buckingham Palace
- Kensington Palace
- Westminster Abbey
- Save the Children UK
- International Olympic Committee
- Lambrook School
- University of St Andrews
- Royal Air Force
- Duchy Home Farm
- Sovereign Grant
- Succession to the Crown Act 2013
- World Equestrian Games
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year
- I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Locations
- United Kingdom
- London
- England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Edinburgh
- Balmoral
- Windsor Great Park
- Royal Lodge
- Sandringham
- Berkshire
- Aachen
- Germany
- Afghanistan
- North America
- United States
- Westminster Hall
- Thames
Sources
- Quartz —