Queen Elizabeth II’s reign still remembered highly positively by Britons

Key takeaways

  • Ahead of what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, 81% of Britons still have a positive view of the late monarch
  • 84% say she did a good job as queen
  • While Queen Elizabeth is highly popular with all age groups, the number with a ‘very popular’ opinion of her rises from 37-38% of under-50s to 73% of over-65s
  • Princess Diana likewise still very popular among Britons (77%), with relatively little difference in opinion between generations
  • Among living royals, Prince William and wife Catherine continue to be most popular (76% and 75% respectively)
  • As they embark on their tour of Australia, Harry and Meghan continue to be unpopular, with only 30% and 20% respectively having positive views
  • King Charles is popular with 60% of Britons, but 34% have a negative view
  • Just 3% have a positive view of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
  • 64% of Britons want to keep the monarchy, and 59% think it is good for the country

21 April 2026 would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday. To mark the occasion, we at YouGov have examined public attitudes towards the late monarch as part of our quarterly update on the royal family.

The results show that fully 81% of Britons have a positive opinion of the former queen, including 51% with a “very positive” view.

This figure is consistent with attitudes towards the Queen during the last months of her reign, and puts her at the top of our royal favourability tables – a spot she consistently occupied previously.

We also asked about two further prominent now-deceased royals: the late Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, as well as Princess Diana.

Like the Queen, Princess Diana also remains very popular among the British public, with 77% of Britons having a positive view (including 41% who are “very positive”).

The late Duke of Edinburgh likewise retains a positive view among most Britons, although at the notably lower rate of 54%. One in three (32%) have a negative opinion of the late Queen’s husband – these figures are similar to the last figures from when he was alive.

Turning to the current members of the royal family, Prince William and wife Catherine continue to come top of the list, with 76% and 75% positive ratings respectively.

Princess Anne is not far behind, on 70%.

King Charles himself is popular with 60% of Britons – a figure unchanged from the previous poll. However, one in three (34%) have a negative view of the king.

At the other end of the table, Prince Harry and wife Meghan continue to be unpopular, with just 30% and 20% respectively taking a favourable opinion of the Sussexes.

And of course, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor comes dead last, with just 3% holding a positive view of the former prince – the joint-lowest to date. Fully 93% have a negative view of AMW, including 85% who have a “very negative” view.

How many Britons think King Charles is doing a good job – and how does this compare to Queen Elizabeth?

Attitudes towards King Charles’ performance as monarch largely mirror attitudes towards him in general, with 61% saying he is doing well. However, fewer Britons say he is doing a bad job as king (20%) than have a negative opinion of him in general (34%, instead being more likely to say “don’t know”) – this trend is consistent with previous findings.

The public still hold fond memories of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, with 84% saying she did a good job as monarch (including 54% who believe she did a “very good” job) – only 8% think she did a bad job. These figures are largely consistent with our tracker data from the last few years of the late Queen’s reign.

How do Britons feel about the monarchy, April 2026?

Attitudes towards the family and monarchy as a whole remain mostly positive, with nearly six in ten Britons (57-59%) seeing the royal family in general and the institution of the monarchy in a favourable light, though a persistent third (34-36%) see both negatively.

Overall, there’s little desire to see the monarchy come to an end, with 64% of Britons believing the UK should continue to be a Kingdom, consistent with the 61-67% who have felt so throughout Charles’s reign. Around a quarter of the public (24%), though, would rather the UK had an elected head of state instead.

Most Britons (59%) say the monarchy is good for Britain, while only 15% think it is actively bad for the country – a further 22% take a more neutral view.

Half of the public (53%) feel the royal family are good value for money, against a third (33%) who feel that the country is seeing a poor return from the Sovereign Grant. Additionally, nearly half of Britons (45%) say they are outright proud of the British monarchy, relative to just 20% who feel outright embarrassed, with a further 30% saying they are neither proud nor embarrassed of the institution.

Younger Britons generally have less positive opinions of the monarchy and the royal family

It remains the case that positivity towards royal figures increases with age, with for example King Charles liked by only 37% of 18-24 year olds but 80% of the over-65s.

The exceptions are Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (who is widely disliked by all age groups) and Harry and Meghan, who are looked upon more favourably by young Britons than their elders (although they are still net unpopular across all generations). Only 19% of over-65s have a positive view of Prince Harry, compared to 35% of 18-24 year olds, and just 10% of the oldest Britons feel favourably towards Meghan, compared to 31% of their youngest counterparts.

Princess Diana also proves an exception, with 75-82% in all age groups having a positive opinion of the late Princess of Wales.

Queen Elizabeth II is also very popular across all age groups, ranging from 72% to 92%. However, unlike with Princess Diana, there is a pronounced age trend that is particularly visible when you look at the number saying they have a “very positive” view of the late Queen. Among under-50s, 37-38% gave this answer, compared to 73% of the over-65s.

As well as being less favourable towards individual royals, the young are also less enthusiastic about the institution of the monarchy in general.

Only 45% of 18-24 year olds want to retain the monarchy, a similar figure to the number who want a republic (38%). This compares to fully 84% of over-65s who want to retain the institution.

Likewise, only 39% of young Britons think the monarchy is good for the country, and just 28% say they are proud of it – tied with the 29% who find it embarrassing.

By contrast, among the over-65s, 78% see the monarchy as good for Britain, and 70% say they are proud of the institution.

See the full results here

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Photo: Getty

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