Generation Z Brits favor abolishing King Charles III's monarchy by a margin of 40 percent to 36 percent, according to new polling three days out from his coronation.
Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned during a historic televised ceremony, with the eyes of the world watching them at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6.
However, 18- to 24-year-olds would rather scrap the monarchy, and only a quarter are proud of it, research by pollster YouGov suggests.
Among Gen Z, 40 percent wanted to abolish the monarchy and 36 percent desired to keep it, while 26 percent felt proud of the royals and 29 percent were embarrassed.
"While young people have been less enthusiastic about the monarchy than their elders ever since YouGov started tracking in 2011, this is nevertheless a remarkable shift in opinion," a YouGov press release stated.
"At our peak of support for the monarchy in 2013, as many as 72 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds wanted to keep the institution.
"Although support was significantly lower among young people in following years, it still outstripped desire for a republic until March 2020, at which point they became closely split," the press release added.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leveled broad-ranging allegations at the royal family and the palace "institution" during their primetime Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2020.
Among the most high-profile accusations, Meghan said an unnamed royal expressed "concern" about how dark her unborn child's skin might be before he was born. She also linked race to conversations about the possibility of denying her son a prince title.
Harry later added that his wife had not intended to make an allegation of racism, but instead said that the royals experienced "unconscious bias."
Disaffection among the young reached its peak, however, in January 2022 in the aftermath of Harry's memoir Spare. YouGov polling showed 52 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds wanted to replace Charles with an elected head of state, compared to 34 percent who backed keeping the monarchy.
Older Britons are, however, so positive about monarchy that Britain remains overall a pro-monarchy country, with 62 percent of U.K. adults in favor of keeping Charles' monarchy and 25 percent wanting to scrap it.
The king therefore has a challenge ahead of him to win back his younger subjects, seven months into a reign he has been waiting to begin for 70 years.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
