Praise for the Queen but doubts over King Charles, poll reveals

KING CHARLEs has enjoyed a surge in support since he succeeded the Queen as monarch, a poll has shown, but some of those mourning his late mother warn he must follow her example and keep his views to himself.

A YouGov survey last week for the Times found backing for the king, 73, had dramatically risen since he became monarch when compared with polls earlier this year. There was a similar increase in backing for his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort.

Now 63 per cent think he will be a good king, a rise of 24 percentage points since March, while 15 per cent believe he will do a bad job, compared with 31 per cent six months ago, the poll last Tuesday (13) found.

Having waited longer than any other heir to become king, the then Prince of Wales carved out a role for himself speaking out on a range of issues from climate change to architecture and alternative medicine.

To critics, he was interfering in political issues that were not matters for the royals, a contrast to his mother who kept her personal opinions hidden throughout her 70-year reign and never gave an interview.

But supporters say some of his views have been visionary – he called for action on the environment and sustainability decades before they became frontline issues for governments.

Since becoming king, he has repeatedly said he would follow his mother’s example. In his first televised address to the nation, he said his role would not be the same now he was king.

“My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,” he said. “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply.”

Many at the sombre ceremonies that have followed the Queen’s death have spoken warmly about the new monarch.

But while outpourings of grief and words of praise for the Queen were almost universally fulsome, there were some voices of doubt over the new king.

“We are in a period of transition with the royal family. It is too early to say if Charles will be popular,” said Ewan Carmichael, 16, who met the new king last Monday (12) at an event at the Scottish parliament. “We will all be waiting to see what he is like as king before people make up their mind about him.”

And despite the increase in the king’s own ratings, the survey tracking long-term sentiment towards the royals also showed the proportion of people who thought the monarchy was very important or quite important at a record low.

Last Tuesday’s YouGov poll found 62 per cent of respondents supported the institution, with 21 per cent opposed. That is a reflection of how backing has declined over the last few years amid a period of turmoil for the royal family.

There has been the departure from their royal roles of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and their subsequent criticism of Buckingham Palace and even allegations of racism.

Meanwhile allegations of sex abuse levelled in the US against Prince Andrew, which led to him settling a court case, have also proved damaging, despite his denial of wrongdoing or any criminal charges. The furore meant he too was forced to quit his royal role.

“It does therefore seem that the successes and problems of the royal family affect how much people value the institution,” poll expert John Curtice wrote in an article for The Conversation website. “King Charles has inherited the crown at a time when support for the institution of the monarchy has fallen to a new low.”

Royal biographer Robert Lacey, the historical consultant to Netflix’s popular TV drama The Crown, said so far the king had successfully combined leading the mourning for the Queen, while providing authority, humanity and reassurance.

“There was a question mark people have always inevitably thought about him as the deputy,” Lacey said.

“I think in the sad circumstances, it’s a very good start – the reverence and the reflectiveness prompted by death have helped as well.”