Brits liking Charles less
2005-02-28 12:38
London - The British monarchy has been seriously damaged by the litany of errors overshadowing the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, a new poll showed on Saturday.
Less than a third of those polled now believe that the prince should become king, and a further quarter even said that the monarchy should end when the queen retires or dies, according to the poll published by The Daily Telegraph.
More than a third of those who took part said the prince's marriage would weaken the monarchy, while only five percent believed that it could strengthen it, according to the YouGov poll published on The Daily Telegraph's website.
The poll findings showed a sharp decline in the prince's popularity since his marriage to his long-term mistress was announced February 10. More people think that Prince William should become the next king.
When the newspaper conducted a similar poll immediately after the announcement of the wedding, 37% said they were ready to welcome Charles III to the throne.
That figure has fallen to 31% and contrasts sharply with 48% two years ago, the poll said.
Nineteen percent of those asked said their opinion of the prince had gone down in the past week after the series of errors over the arrangments for the wedding.
Tarnished by rushed announcement
Royal experts told AFP earlier this week that the whole family's reputation had been tarnished by the rushed marriage announcement, the change in venue from Windsor Castle to Windsor town hall, and Queen Elizabeth II's decision to miss her son's civil ceremony.
The Telegraph said that two-thirds of those surveyed thought it was perfectly acceptable for the queen to attend the wedding at the Guildhall but nearly half said that they did not care whether she attended.
Twenty-nine percent said that she should stay away, according to the poll.
Public attitudes to the marriage appear to vary widely. Nearly two thirds believe that the couple should marry, while a quarter do not.
An overwhelming majority is in favour of allowing the prince and Parker Bowles to marry in a civil ceremony.
YouGov surveyed 1 970 people between Thursday and Friday.
- AFP