LONDON — Maybe democracy was a bad idea after all?
King Charles III of the U.K.’s personal poll ratings have received a boost in the wake of his coronation early May.
According to new polling from Ipsos, 63 percent of Brits are now satisfied with the job he is doing as monarch — up 6 points since April. Only 17 percent said they disapproved of the king’s work.
In another apparent boost for the U.K.’s constitutional monarchy, satisfaction with Charles’ son — William, prince of Wales and the heir to the throne — has also risen. 73 percent of Brits said they were pleased with his work as a prince, while just 10 percent were unhappy with his record as next-in-line.
“Both King Charles and Prince William have seen improvements in their public satisfaction ratings after the Coronation, to levels that most politicians would be only too delighted to receive,” said Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos.
Indeed, the royal ratings eclipse those of the U.K.’s actual elected politicians in comparable studies. Just 31 percent of Brits had a favorable view of current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak according to the latest YouGov poll, while opposition leader Keir Starmer fares little better on 35 percent.
However, it isn’t all good news for Britain’s under-new-management monarchy.
Ipsos recorded that the percentage of Brits in favor of the country becoming a republic was up 3 points, to 28 percent of the country — the highest proportion recorded since the early 1990s.