Americans like the British Royals – with a few exceptions. But much like the Brits, Americans seem to be most loyal to the Queen. More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll have a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen’s popularity crosses party and gender lines in the United States. This is especially true when it comes to how senior citizens view the Monarch.
The other Royals are also viewed favorably by Americans.
The Queen’s grandchildren and their wives who come closest to the Queen in popularity when Americans are asked to rate the Royals. The grandchildren are far more popular than Prince Charles and even Prince Philip.
All the Royals rank better than Prince Andrew, opinion of whom has clearly been damaged by the scandal of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The more people have heard about Epstein and especially about the interview Prince Andrew gave to the BBC about his relationship with Epstein (and his denial of the allegation that he had sex with a minor), the more unfavorable their opinion of Andrew (two-thirds of those who had heard “a lot” about the interview are unfavorable).
Americans very much like the Queen’s grandchildren and their spouses. Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, isn’t quite as popular as Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Prince William. That difference comes from how Republicans judge Meghan. She has criticized President Donald Trump and he called her “nasty” during an interview with a British newspaper, The Sun. Meghan Markle is extremely popular with Democrats, and while Republicans in general also like her, nearly a third have an unfavorable opinion of her.
Charles, the Prince of Wales, is more liked than disliked, though not by a huge margin. Women are closely divided (40% favorable, 36% not favorable), men more positive (45% favorable, 30% not favorable). The late Princess Diana’s ratings rival those for the Queen. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the wife of Charles, the heir to the Throne, is not as popular. There is an age difference when it comes to opinion of both women. More than seven in 10 of those 45 and older have a favorable rating of Diana; nearly half in the same group have an unfavorable opinion of Camilla.
More than a third of those 44 and under have no opinion of Diana; half have no opinion of Camilla.
Related: Who is the greatest Republican president?
See the full survey results and toplines from this week's The Economist/YouGov poll
Image: Getty
