Majority in UK think Royal Family should 'pay for their own statue' of Queen as support for monarchy 'falls sharply' - latest on Andrew, Harry and William

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A new opinion poll shows an overwhelming majority in the UK want the Royal Family to pay for a proposed new statue of the late Queen.

The St James's Park statue is set to cost the government as much as £46m. When asked which of the following should pay the cost of the statue, 75% of respondents, said the royal family.

Just 14% said the taxpayer should foot the bill. The poll, conducted by Savanta over the weekend and commissioned by Republic, shows a big majority in all age groups and demographics want the royals to pay.

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Republic's CEO, Graham Smith, said today: "This is another poll that shows true royalists are in a small minority, with just 14% thinking the country should pay for this statue. This result is hardly surprising. We spend over half a billion pounds on the monarchy every year, we allow them to avoid paying taxes and we pay Charles and William personal incomes of more than £23m each.

“Yet when they want a statue to the queen they expect the taxpayer to pay. This has to stop. They can pay for their own statue."

A new opinion poll shows an overwhelming majority in the UK want the Royal Family to pay for a proposed new statue of the late Queen. (Photo: Getty Images)A new opinion poll shows an overwhelming majority in the UK want the Royal Family to pay for a proposed new statue of the late Queen. (Photo: Getty Images)
A new opinion poll shows an overwhelming majority in the UK want the Royal Family to pay for a proposed new statue of the late Queen. (Photo: Getty Images) | Getty Images

He added: “There is no public demand for this statue, support for the monarchy has fallen sharply and interest in it is low. There is absolutely no public benefit to this at all. And clearly the public do not want taxpayers footing the bill for a pointless statue, at a time when public services are at breaking point."

Support for the monarchy “falling sharply” comes after it has been reported that Prince Andrew will miss the royal family Christmas gathering at Sandringham this year after links to alleged Chinese spies have emerged. Last week, a high court hearing revealed that the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK, was said to have been a “close” confidant of Andrew.

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According to court documents, Yang was so close to the duke that he was authorised to act on his behalf in an international financial initiative with potential partners and investors in China. Andrew’s office said last week he had stopped all contact with the man, whom he had met through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”. The prince’s ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will also miss Christmas at Sandringham, in what will be seen as a show of solidarity for her former husband.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly been left "hurt and angry" after Prince William's "appalling betrayal" following his meeting with Donald Trump, a source has reportedly claimed. The Prince of Wales held a meeting with the US-President elect in France after they both travelled to Paris for the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral following the devastating fire in 2019.

Now, according to a source, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been left "shocked" and "terrified" following William's meeting, as the pair are known to not get on well with the new US President. The insider told Closer magazine: "This cuts deep on so many levels and feels like an appalling betrayal for Harry and Meghan. Prince William appeared to get along with Trump very well.”

The source added: "The whole situation has triggered a storm of emotions for Harry and Meghan. They’re hurt and angry and genuinely quite shocked because, for all their issues with William, they still believed his politics and beliefs were more in line with theirs.”

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