Britons say Princess of Wales is the best cook in the Royal Family, consider Duke and Duchess of Sussex more celebrities than members of the Royal family
The public increasingly views the Duke and Duchess of Sussex more as celebrities than members of the Royal Family, and believes that the Princess of Wales is the best cook.
New research from Ipsos, carried out 8-11 November, examines public opinion in Britain towards the Royal Family.
Royals as celebrities: The public on balance views the Duke and Duchess of Sussex more as celebrities than members of the Royal Family. Six in ten (60%) say that the Duchess of Sussex is more of a celebrity than a Royal, while four in ten (40%) say the same about the Duke of Sussex (21% see him more as a member of the Royal Family, and 20% view him as both).
Royal chefs: The public were also asked who they perceive to be the best cook in the Royal Family. The Princess of Wales came out on top (30%), followed by Princess Anne (13%) and Queen Camilla (12%). Following the announcement of her new lifestyle show 10% said the Duchess of Sussex, the same proportion as the Prince of Wales.
Popularity of members of the Royal Family
- The Prince and Princess of Wales continue to be the most popular members of the Royal Family, with little change in views since the end of last year. 64% hold a favourable view of the Prince of Wales and 15% unfavourable. 62% hold a favourable view of the Princess of Wales, and 12% unfavourable. Princess Anne follows closely behind with a 56% favourability rating.
- Prince Andrew is the least popular member of the Royal family, with seven in ten Britons expressing an unfavourable opinion of.
- Half of Britons (52%) believe King Charles is doing a good job, with 14% expressing a negative view. This reflects fairly consistent approval ratings since his accession.
- Public confidence in Prince William as a future king also remains high, with two-thirds (67%) believing he would do a good job.
- Around two in five (38%) Britons believe abolishing the monarchy would be worse for the country (down 5ppts since last November and the lowest since last March), while a quarter (24%) think it would be better (little changed over the last couple of years). Around three in ten (29%) believe it would make no difference.
- There are clear generational divides. Older people are the most likely to think abolishing the monarchy would be bad for Britain (55% of 55-75 year olds), while younger people are much more split (32% of 18-34s think it would be better for the country without the monarchy, 24% worse, and 33% that it would make little difference).
Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos said:
Our latest polling on the Royal Family shows the different aspects of public opinion. The consistently high approval ratings for the Prince and Princess of Wales will undoubtedly be viewed as positive by those in the palace’s orbit, the majority continue to think King Charles is doing a good job, and those who actively want to abolish the monarchy are a minority. However the persistent negativity towards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, coupled with the generational divide in views on the monarchy's value, presents a clear challenge for the institution. The data continues to suggest a need for the Royal Family to navigate carefully the evolving expectations of the British public, particularly amongst younger generations, in order to secure the institution's future.
Techinical note:
- Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,091 online adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain from the 20th-21st January 2025.
- Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
