Prince Andrew is the nation’s least favourite royal, with the disgraced Duke taking a pummeling in an exclusive poll of the public conducted for MailOnline.
The Duke of York should receive no public money, according to almost 80 per cent of Britons, with just one in ten saying he should – fewer than those who wanted to see a fictional Earl and Countess paid taxpayer funds.
The Queen’s middle son should also be removed from the line of succession, the vast majority argued – despite being eighth in line to the throne and often spoken of as the late monarch’s favourite child.
Almost 80 per cent of the public think he should be barred from inheriting the crown – meaning Andrew fared even worse in public opinion than Harry and Meghan.
The British public also largely share the view that King Charles should ensure his controversial younger brother must never be allowed to return duties again.
Almost half of people surveyed believe ‘there are no good things about him, only bad things’ when it comes to the Duke of York.
Calls to downgrade disgraced Prince Andrew are up, with a decisive percentage of respondents saying they would like to see him removed from the line of succession
The King’s younger brother came off worst in MailOnline’s exclusive poll – with the vast majority of Brits saying he should be removed from the line of succession
The 63-year-old is no longer a working royal, despite pictures of him at a Balmoral church service last month indicating the Windsors were welcoming him back into the fold.
It has been a dramatic fall from grace for a man, who, as a Royal Navy veteran of 22 years once commanded the respect of a nation.
He has since given up his HRH titles and had his honorary military roles stripped by the Queen, being denied the right to wear his military uniform on a number of occasions, including as he followed his mother’s coffin.
Andrew quit his role as a trade envoy when pictures emerged of him walking in New York’s Central Park with American financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2010.
Images also surfaced of the Prince with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, who claimed that Epstein employed her as a masseuse but exploited her while under-age.
Giuffre has alleged she was forced to have sex with him three times aged 17 when under Epstein’s orders – a claim Prince Andrew continues to vehemently to deny.
Then came the car-crash interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight in 2019 – an attempt to wash his hands of the controversy that blew up in his face.
While Andrew has largely kept a low profile following the string of scandals, it seems from the new poll data that the public would like to see even less of him – with 53 per cent of people saying he should undertake fewer public engagements.
The British public largely share the view that King Charles should ensure his controversial younger brother must never be allowed to return duties again
Prince Andrew’s appearance in a car with William and Kate as the family travelled to church in Balmoral was a ‘public statement of togetherness’, a royal expert has said
The findings were revealed in a comprehensive new poll on the state of the monarchy carried out for MailOnline by Deltapoll.
It asked more than 2,000 people how they view the Royal Family , its members and the work the institution does in the UK and abroad.
Today’s exclusive survey also reveals:
- More than half of respondents (53%) think that the institution of the monarchy is good for Britain;
- More than six in ten (62%) believe Britain should remain a monarchy. Fewer than a quarter (23%) think Britain should become a republic;
- Just over half (53%) think that Britain will still be a monarchy in fifty years, with more than a quarter (25%) thinking the opposite.
- A majority (58%) have not changed their mind about Charles since he became king. Under a quarter (23%) think better of him, with just over one in nine (12%) thinking the opposite;
- It is a similar number for Camilla. Half (50%) have not changed their mind about her and under a quarter (24%) think better of her. At one in six (17%), however, the proportion who say their opinion of her has got worse is slightly higher than for her husband. Half (50%) also think that Diana would have been a better queen. 12% think the opposite and 19% think there would have been no real difference;
- Four in ten (40%) think that Charles should not allow either Harry or Meghan to play an active role in royal life ever again. A quarter (25%) say Charles should be open to the idea, with a further fifth (20%) thinking Charles should be open to the idea of Harry without Meghan. A strong majority (69%) think Charles should not allow Andrew to have an active role again;
- More than four in ten (43%) thinks Harry will never come back to live in Britain full time, but more than a third (36%) think he will come back at some point in the future;
- Prince Andrew is viewed very poorly, even compared to Harry and Meghan. Four in ten (40%) think that the good things are in the majority when it comes to Harry with only one in seven thinking there are no good things about him. In contrast, only just over one in five (21%) think the good things win out when it comes to Andrew and more than four in ten (43%) think that there are no good things about him
Now have your say! Use our interactive tools to get involved in MailOnline’s royal survey
Now you can have a go at answering 20 questions which were asked in the survey:
Poll
Taking everything into account do you think the institution of the monarchy is good or bad for Britain?
- Good for Britain 7939 votes
- Bad for Britain 901 votes
- Neither good nor bad for Britain 924 votes
- Don’t know 57 votes
Poll
Would you favour Britain becoming a republic or remaining a monarchy?
- Britain should become a republic 1395 votes
- Britain should remain a monarchy 7679 votes
- Don’t know 201 votes
Poll
In fifty years, do you think Britain will still have a monarchy?
- Yes, I think Britain will still have a monarchy in fifty years 6817 votes
- No, I think Britain will not have a monarchy in fifty years 1596 votes
- Don’t know 524 votes
Poll
In years to come, Prince William’s son Prince George is set to become the King. Do you think that his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, should have to work, or receive the Sovereign Grant?
- Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should earn all of their money by working 2612 votes
- Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should earn some money but should also be supported by a Sovereign Grant 5056 votes
- Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis should be entirely supported by a Sovereign Grant 888 votes
- Don’t know 229 votes
Poll
In your opinion, do you think that King Charles III should or should not continue to speak out on issues and current affairs that matter to him?
- King Charles should continue to speak out on issues and current affairs that matter to him 4158 votes
- As monarch, King Charles should not be expressing an opinion on any issues or current affairs 4231 votes
- Don’t know 131 votes
Poll
If you had to say, do you imagine that Queen Elizabeth II would think that King Charles is taking the future of the Monarchy in the right direction or the wrong direction?
- The right direction 6325 votes
- The wrong direction 1001 votes
- Don’t know 1104 votes
Poll
How much, if anything, do you think the Royal Family has to offer the young people of Britain nowadays?
- The Royal Family have a great deal to offer young people 4077 votes
- The Royal Family have a fair amount to offer young people 2277 votes
- The Royal Family do not have very much to offer young people 908 votes
- The Royal Family have nothing to offer young people 939 votes
- Don’t know 144 votes
Poll
If you had the choice, which of the following do you think would have been best when the Queen passed away last year?
- Prince Charles should have become King 5651 votes
- Prince William should have become King 2236 votes
- Don’t know 326 votes
Poll
Which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- King Charles should remain as king until he dies 4772 votes
- Prince William should become king at some stage in the future before King Charles dies 2794 votes
- Prince William should become king now 442 votes
- Don’t know 245 votes
Poll
Which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- As King Charles and Queen Camilla get older, it is right that they should hand over more and more public duties to Prince William and Princess Catherine 6163 votes
- It is important that King Charles and Queen Camilla maintain their public duties, even as they get older 1704 votes
- Don’t know 220 votes
Poll
Taking everything into account, has your opinion of King Charles III changed since he became King?
- Yes, my opinion of him has got better 4186 votes
- Yes, my opinion of him has got worse 695 votes
- No, my opinion of him has stayed the same 3517 votes
- Don’t know 43 votes
Poll
Taking everything into account, has your opinion of Queen Camilla changed since she married Charles in 2005?
- Yes, my opinion of her has got better 4316 votes
- Yes, my opinion of her has got worse 722 votes
- No, my opinion of her has stayed the same 3246 votes
- Don’t know 69 votes
Poll
If you had to say, all things considered, do you imagine that Diana, Princess of Wales would have been a better or worse queen than Queen Camilla?
- Diana, Princess of Wales would have been a better queen 2780 votes
- Queen Camilla will be a better queen 2597 votes
- There will be no real difference between the two 2180 votes
- Don’t know 839 votes
Poll
King Charles inherited land and property which is estimated to be worth up to £390m and paid no Inheritance Tax. What he inherited brings in around £4.5 million each year from rent paid by members of the public. Which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- This money raised from renting should go to the Treasury 4704 votes
- This money raised from renting should go to the Royal Family 2666 votes
- Don’t know 758 votes
Poll
Taking everything into account, of the following, who do you believe has done more damage to the Royal Family?
- Prince Harry 6063 votes
- Prince Andrew 2105 votes
- Don’t know 152 votes
Poll
When you think about Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- There are no bad things about him, only good things 182 votes
- The good things about him are outweighed by the bad things 2774 votes
- The bad things about him are equal to the good things 339 votes
- The bad things about him are outweighed by the good things 1368 votes
- There are no good things about him, only bad things 3510 votes
- Don’t know 129 votes
Poll
When you think about Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- There are no bad things about him, only good things 70 votes
- The good things about him are outweighed by the bad things 1719 votes
- The bad things about him are equal to the good things 572 votes
- The bad things about him are outweighed by the good things 887 votes
- There are no good things about him, only bad things 4497 votes
- Don’t know 325 votes
Poll
When it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- King Charles should be open to the idea of Prince Harry and Meghan both playing an active role in the Royal Family again at some stage in the future 454 votes
- King Charles should be open to the idea of just Prince Harry playing an active role in the Royal Family again at some stage in the future, but without Meghan playing a role 567 votes
- King Charles should not allow either Prince Harry or Meghan to play an active role in the Royal Family ever again 7094 votes
- Don’t know 118 votes
Poll
When it comes to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, which of the following statements comes closest to your own view?
- King Charles should be open to the idea Prince Andrew playing an active role in the Royal Family again at some stage in the future 856 votes
- King Charles should not allow Prince Andrew to play an active role in the Royal Family ever again 7003 votes
- Don’t know 196 votes
Poll
From what you know, and taking everything into account, do you think that Prince Harry will ever come back to Britain to live full time or not?
- Prince Harry will come back to Britain to live at some point in the future 2317 votes
- Prince Harry will never come back to live in Britain full time 4059 votes
- Don’t know 759 votes
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