Poll shows support for Australian republic falls under King Charles

Australians have revealed why they believe the country should remain a constitutional monarchy, as well as who their favourite royals are. See the results and have your say.

Support for an Australian republic has fallen to a lower level under King Charles than it was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, exclusive new survey results show.

And as Australia prepares for its first visit from a reigning monarch since 2011, it appears we have definitely warmed to King Charles and Queen Camilla since their 2022 coronations.

One in four poll respondents (26 per cent) said they had a more favourable view of King Charles now than they did before he was crowned, and one in five (21 per cent) said their impression of Queen Camilla had also improved.

But as some members of the House of Windsor have gone up in our estimation, others have come crashing down.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the royal darlings of 2018, attracting large crowds and intense media interest during their tour down under, but four years on from their decision to quite the palace rat race, today’s poll reveals our affection for them may have been short-lived.

Support for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle has dropped according to the survey. Picture: AFP

Meanwhile support for Prince William and Princess Catherine has soared. Picture: AFP

Prince William and Princess Catherine, meanwhile, are clearly the royals Australia would like to see more of, health issues permitting of course, with 40 per cent of poll participants saying they’d actually rather a royal visit from them, rather than the King and Queen. Nearly as many respondents (38 per cent) said they’d prefer to see the younger royals on the throne, as well.

Prince William and Princess Catherine last visited Australia in 2014, accompanied by their infant son, Prince George.

Of the 1049 everyday Australians who responded to survey questions on NewsCorp’s Pulse of Australia platform, just one in three (33 per cent) were of the view that Australia should become a republic – a level of support significantly down on the 39.4 per cent who voted that way at the 1999 referendum.

Forty-five per cent of poll respondents said Australia should remain a constitutional monarchy, and 22 per cent said they were unsure.

The poll results appear to defy earlier predictions that republican sentiment would flourish after the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and come just three months after the Albanese government quietly dropped a dedicated ministry for the republic.

The survey showed little difference in republican sentiment among age groups, but there was a strong gender split: more men were supportive of an Australian republic (41 per cent) than women (27 per cent). Small majorities of Greens and Labor voters wanted an Australian head of state (58 and 53 per cent, respectively) but only 21 per cent of Coalition voters were in favour.

Australian Monarchist League spokesperson Alexander Voltz says last year’s Voice referendum killed any republican chances.

Australian Monarchist League spokesperson Alexander Voltz said last year’s Voice to parliament referendum “really killed any republican chances”.

“The objective of the government to pass the Voice first, and then usher in the Republic on the back of that was a fatal miscalculation. What has really become very apparent to the Australian electorate is that there is no appetite for needless change of any flavour at the moment,” he said.

“(People) want to see real leadership on issues that are translating to them on the ground, and the republic is just not one,” Mr Voltz said.

Australian Republic Movement (ARM) co-chair Esther Anatolitis argued the republican cause was not over, but there was a lot of education needed on the issue.

Recent ARM research showed 40 per cent of Aussies are actually unaware that Charles III is our head of state, Ms Anatolitis revealed.

“There’s real disengagement with an understanding that in fact Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with a head of state who inherits the role by birthright,” she said.

“We have found over the years that once we engage people following that question, their response is ‘Well that doesn’t sound right’”.

Australian Republic Movement (ARM) co-chair Esther Anatolitis says more education is needed on the republican issue.

With regards to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Pulse of Australia Survey found a major shift in how they are perceived.

A clear majority of poll respondents (56 per cent) said they did not like Prince Harry, while just 21 per cent said they liked him and 23 per cent said they had no opinion.

Meghan Markle’s ratings were even worse: 71 per cent said they did not like her, 21 per cent said they had no opinion, and just 8 per cent said they liked her.

The plummeting popularity comes amid mixed signs as to whether Prince Harry will ever reconcile with his father and brother, after several years of making quite serious accusations about members of the Royal Family in books, TV interviews and an infamous 2022 Netflix docu-series.

Many respondents to the Pulse of Australia poll (44 per cent) said they did not believe King Charles should make greater efforts to reconcile with Prince Harry. Twenty-eight per cent said the King should make a greater effort, and another 28 per cent were unsure.

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