King Charles III: One in three support a republic as faith in monarchy wains

The future of the British Monarchy came into question following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and despite the coronation of a new King, public support is still waining. According to new data, just over half of the country prefer the Monarchy but a third have expressed interest in an elected head of state.

Just 52% of Brits prefer having a monarchy in the UK, according to a Savanta poll conducted between November 24 & 26. Additionally, those who prefer an elected head of state has climbed to 34%.

Republic, an anti-monarchy group which held protests around King Charles’s coronation, welcome the findings and state it is a 'watershed' moment for the movement. CEO of Republic, Graham Smith, said: "This is a watershed moment for the anti-monarchy movement, with 1 in 3 now wanting to elect their head of state.

"Polling since the start of the year has consistently shown a big drop in support for the monarchy over the past decade. 2023 was supposed to be the year the royals secure their future."

He added: "The palace had to manage the transition from Elizabeth to Charles. To do that they had a quarter of a billion pounds to spend on the most expensive PR extravaganza this country has ever seen.

"The royals were able to rely on more friendly media coverage than they could ever hope for, and a cavalcade of important people lining up to talk up its greatness, history, importance and necessity. Yet all that effort and expense has failed to shift the dial in their favour, instead the year ends with a record number wanting to elect the UK's head of state."

Earlier this year, Smith was arrested along with 51 others at King Charles's coronation as demonstrators lined the procession route in central London and held up signs saying "Not My King". Republic has previously campaigned at royal events. During the diamond jubilee in 2012, dozens of protestors held banners saying “citizen, not subject” on the banks of the River Thames.

"With one in three people now preferring a republic this issue has to be addressed seriously by politicians and media," Smith added. "We are not a nation of royalists, and in time we will become a nation that overwhelmingly wants the monarchy gone." "The question now is not if, but when the monarchy is abolished," he said.