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Members of the royal family stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, 2009
The barrage of publicity surrounding Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s wedding has certainly raised the profile of the British royal family, but what does a reading of the public opinion poll tea leaves tell us about the enduring popularity — or otherwise — of the monarchy?
One of the first recorded polling questions on royalty was back in 1937, shortly after the abdication crisis when Edward VIII gave up the throne to marry the twice-divorced American society belle Wallis Simpson. The jet-set couple had left Britain, as the consensus was they would be a distraction if they stayed – yet a Gallup poll revealed a high degree of public sympathy for the pair. Sixty-one percent of respondents said the Duke and Duchess of Windsor should “be invited to return to England to live.”
Palace advisers know only too well how high-profile events like royal weddings can shape public opinion, hence the importance of William and Kate’s wedding passing off smoothly and appearing to be in tune with the current mood of austerity in the UK. When a 2007 Populus/Times opinion poll asked, “Which moments in Royal History have formed your current views towards the royal family?,” Princess Diana‘s death was No. 1 and her wedding to Prince Charles was third.
The voice of Republicanism has echoed through British history since the days of Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I, but is Britain more republican now than it has been in the past? MORI asked the same question, “Would you favor Britain becoming a republic or remaining a monarchy?,” between 1993 and 2006. In 1993, 18 percent favored a republic, and in 2006 the figure was exactly the same, suggesting that opinion on this point hadn’t shifted.
However, when the question of how long the monarchy will last is raised, answers suggest that, over the past two decades, a decreasing number of people see the institution surviving long-term. MORI asked a series of questions about the future of the monarchy between 1990 and 2006 – and whereas in 1990, 49 percent of respondents thought there would still be a monarchy in 100 years time, by 2006 that figure had dropped to 24 percent.
Still, in all this reading of the entrails, there’s reason to believe that William and Kate’s wedding will help ensure the monarchy’s survival. A ComRes/CNN internet poll found that 79 percent agree with the statement “William and Kate getting married is good for the future of the monarchy.”
15 Comments
I have written something for Prince William and Kate that I am posting on FaceBook on 4-28
I am very excited and probably more nervous than they are
Your article states:
Sixty-one percent of respondents said the Duke and Duchess of York should “be invited to return to England to live.”
When Edward VII abdicated, he became the Duke of Windsor. His brother, who became George VI was the Duke of York.
Thanks Paula for alerting us to that…fixed now.
My grandmother was from England and my genealogy includes many ancestors from Britain. In fact, a few years ago I found through Ancestry.com my mother’s third cousin. He is a wonderful WWII airman veteran who adores the monarchy. And so do I. I have not yet made it to England as much as I wish to, but if there wasn’t a monarchy, a queen or king at the palaces, all of the history, pomp, and circumstance associated with the monarchy, I probably wouldn’t go to visit. Besides, I adored Princes Diana (she hated being called “Di”) and we Americans do not like Camilla, the Dutchess of someplace. I hope she stays away from the US. But we love Diana’s kids, William is cool, and we will watch the wedding, even though it will be in the middle of the night!
I think if the monarchy has last this long, I’m sure it’ll last longer. I hope it does, otherwise, I might not have a reason to go to Britain! So many places to visit! So many historical palaces! Makes me excited just thinking about it all!
I love reading about every member of the royal family, from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Prince Charles and Camilla to William and Harry to Princess Anne! Even historical Queens and Kings of the past from all the way to the Tudors to more recent like Queen Alexandra!
A lot of things interest me, but this is fairly high on my interest list. Anything historical or connected to history will cause me to perk up quickly. And the royal family is so nice that I doubt I could hate them anyway!
Laura Trevelyan is about as big a disaster as a reporter that the BBC Website could be using. She is historically clueless. How much more can she get wrong than she has in the articles published on this site and needing correction?
Edward VII became king in 1901 when his mother Queen Victoria died. He did not give up the throne but died as King and Emperor.
The person she is trying so ineptly to refer to is, of course, Edward VIII. Nevertheless the Duke of Windsor and his wife could hardly be referred to as a “jet set” couple since the jet aircraft did not exist in 1936 at the time of the abdication of Edward VIII and would not until well into World War II.
Why does not BBC America ditch this total disaster of a reporter and get someone more professionally capable?
Hello Alan…that was a typo. Apologies.
I have always admired the Queen for her dedication to her people. I hope the younger members of the Royal Family will remain as dedicated and not give in to every whim from the public and the press. How many of the public have given time, money and served in the military? They may be rich but I wager they would much rather relax at home.
Depriving Britain of its Monarchy is equivalent of depriving sky of moon.
Princess Diana was the epitome of English royalty. Charles is the disgrace, and Camilia is a joke. This wedding is about the royal family feeling that it is slipping; thereby, needing an extra jolt in the arm. Has the monarchy seen its last days? If anything were to happen to the Queen, I believe that the monarchy will end. Prince Charles should never be allowed to rule. William seems a bit stuffed shirt and I personally favor Harry to be the next ruler. Harry reminds me more of Diana, who was the real England,and who will never fade from the memory of those who loved her.
William is Diana’s child and for this reason most people are right behind him. Millions of people the world over mourned the untimely passing of his much loved mother. She is no longer here but we the British people are and we are going to celebrate as if he was our very own.
I personally wish the he and Kate will be supremely happy in their married life and hope that all the happiness which illuded Diana during her life, falls on them big time. May God bless them both with a long and healthy and enchanted life.
I started reading Majesty magazine when I was 7 years old…along with Royalty magazine,,,I have always been fascinated with the monarchies of the world with the British monarchy being my utmost favorite. The history, the jewels, the palaces, the many sordid stories…Ah! Being American makes it obviously difficult to relate to those Brits that would rather the establishment be disbanded. But as an American I can only inform those Brits that without the monarchy you would need to be Madonna to reinvent yourselves into anything interesting after it’s gone. I was 6 years old when Charles and Diana were married and best believe I was sitting in front of the television watching the whole thing. The upcoming nuptials will be an event in my house! The UK is the heart of the Queen and her family, but she is the UK’s soul. I almost wish we hadn’t won our independence from mother England, regardless, Elizabeth II is my Queen anyway. God save the Queen and the monarchy!
The monarchy will probably end when Queen Elizabeth passes away. As more people in Britain are questioning why the monarchy is necessary in the 21st century, when the current queen dies there will probably be a major public discussion as to whether a new one should be crowned. Things have changed a lot since Elizabeth became queen in the 1950s. The monarchy costs Britain a fortune without providing any distinct benefit, and that’s worth considering during tough economic times when many public services, like the NHS, are short on funds.
Some posters have said that they’d be less interested in visiting Britain without the monarchy, but that would be a shame. Many other European countries which used to have monarchies are no worse off without them, and are well-worth visiting. The absence of the Sun King doesn’t make France or Versailles any less interesting. Germany, Austria, and Russia also once had powerful monarchies and still manage to offer a lot to visitors without them.
I just finished watching ‘The Queen’ for the second time since it was first released. I am an American and have always had a fascination with British history for obvious reasons. I had perceptions of the Royal family that were shaped by the superficial understanding of their public persona. After watching the movie, and living through the period of time of Diana’s marriage, divorce, and then her death, my opinion of the royal family was changed in a very negative way. Although I understand that they live a different life then ordinary folk, and that Diana was far from perfect, still, regardless of those considerations, I was appalled at a closer look at who the actual people may be that make up the royal family. Cold hearted to the extreme is an impression I have that would be very hard to shake. Not stoic, but cold hearted. They have certainly acted in ways that make it difficult to have respect for them and certainly not affection. Their hypocrisy concerning looking down their noses at Diana and her failings, when Charles was unfaithful in the marriage, suggests a level of morality that I would not associate with commoners, let alone royalty. I can only say that the royals are a sad bunch to me, and dispel any romantic notion I had of royalty.
what about the control noone asks what the people who control her are costing the public I E Roths child