The Challenges Facing King Charles III: Public Perception, Finances, and Diversity

To gauge public sentiment in the UK ahead of Charles III’s coronation, the BBC’s Wide Lens commissioned a new poll from YouGov. The results showed that the monarchy still enjoys broad support, with 58 per cent backing keeping the royal family and 26 per cent backing an elected head of state.

However, the numbers also show that public attitudes are changing, with the new king facing clear public opinion challenges at the start of his reign. Especially when it comes to attracting young people, the problem seems to be more obvious.

People over the age of 65 are the most likely to support the monarchy at 78%, but the least supportive group is the 18-24 age group, of which only 32% support the royal family to continue. This younger group is also more likely (38%) to support an elected head of state. However, 30% of the people answered this question: I don’t know.

Apathy can be as much a problem as disapproval, with 78% of young people saying they are “not interested” in the royal family.

So, what are the challenges facing the new king?

In a climate of skyrocketing living costs, royal wealth appears to be a factor driving sharp splits in attitudes across age groups.

Overall, 54 per cent of the online poll of 4,592 British adults said the monarch was worth the money, while 32 per cent said otherwise.

But the younger group surveyed – those aged 18-24 – were more likely (40%) to think the royal family was “not worth the money”, with just 36% saying it was “good value”.

“There are so many palaces, it’s absurd. Frankly speaking, there must be a palace for state affairs, such as Buckingham Palace, and maybe another one, if you want to go back to the country and live in peace,” said Noah, a former Liberal Democrat MP and critic of royal spending. Says Norman Baker.

He also criticized the king for “lecturing people about climate change” while using helicopters and private jets frequently.

Lord Nicholas Soames, a longtime friend of King Charles, has refuted the allegations. He said (the royal family) would only use helicopters when there was a “very important need” to perform public duties, “absolutely not for outings.”

Nor does constitutional expert Sir Vernon Bogdanor accept this economic level of criticism. “I think the royal family in general gets their money’s worth. The only people who get paid are those who hold public office,” he said.

But as another recent YouGov poll highlighted, the public is particularly sensitive to spending. The poll found a majority believed the government should not have paid for Charles III’s coronation.

Looking at public expenditure alone, the government will not announce how much the coronation will cost until after the event.

In addition, some newspapers have recently launched investigations into royal funds, questioning the line between private and public funding of the royal family, including the status of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall. Each of these two huge estates has brought profits to the royal family of more than 20 million pounds.

Baker argued that these lands and properties should be considered “public property” and “profits should be used to fund public services” rather than being “transferred to the crown coffers”.

Buckingham Palace responded that the Duchy of Cornwall financed the public, private and charitable activities of the heir to the throne, while the Duchy of Lancaster funded the monarch so they would not become a “burden to the state”.

City University historian Professor Anna Whitelock focuses on the place of the monarchy in modern Britain. She questioned why the new king was not required to pay inheritance tax when the previous monarch died.

But Buckingham Palace pointed out that funding and tax arrangements are at the discretion of the government, not the royal family.

Still, questions about the opacity of the royal finances appear set to continue. The magnitude of the uncertainty is also underscored by the wide divergence in conclusions of recent two newspaper investigations into the king’s wealth. One survey puts him at £600m, another at £1.8bn.

The question of money may also raise public doubts about whether members of the royal family really understand the lives of ordinary people.

According to a poll of British adults conducted by the “Wide Angle” column from April 14 to 17, those who think the king is “out of touch” have the upper hand, 45%; those who think the king is “out of touch” account for 36%.

But the King has been supporting disadvantaged families through his charity for decades.

Martina Milburn, former chief executive of the Prince’s Trust, was full of praise for the King’s ability to connect with diverse groups of people. “I’ve really been to prisons, youth delinquency agencies, employment centers with him, and the way he connects with people is amazing,” she said.

But Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, said opinion polls showed that opposition to the monarchy was often underestimated. “Across the country, millions of people want the monarchy to be abolished,” he said.

Another sensitive issue facing the royal family is public perception of their attitudes to race.

From a falling out with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to a wide-ranging debate over the treatment of black charity founder Ngozi Fulani at a reception at Buckingham Palace, see It’s always been a tricky subject.

YouGov investigation highlights the seriousness of the royal challenge.

The poll found that people from minority ethnic backgrounds were less likely to support the monarchy.

Of this group, 40 per cent want to see an elected head of state rather than a monarch. Similarly, people from minority ethnic backgrounds are also more likely to think that members of the royal family have a “racial and diversity problem,” with 49 percent saying they do think they do have a problem with members of the royal family, an overall figure when ethnic background is removed. 32%.

Lord Soames firmly rejects any suggestion of racism. He said the king had “not a drop of racism in his veins”.

Buckingham Palace said the king and royal family took all issues of race and diversity seriously, pointing to the “swift, strong” response to the Fulani incident as evidence. The royal family also stated that it has re-examined the royal family’s diversity and inclusion policy.

But it is also an issue that affects Britain’s international relations, including the Commonwealth, calling into question the legacy of colonialism and the slave trade.

Speaking to Commonwealth leaders in Rwanda last year, Prince Charles, then the crown prince, spoke of his “deep personal sadness” at the suffering caused by the slave trade.

In another speech during the visit of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last fall, Charles said: “If we are to unleash the energy to build a shared future, we must acknowledge the mistakes that shaped our past.”

But Sir Hilary Beckles, a Barbadian historian and chair of the Caribbean Community Compensation Commission, believes more action is needed because of the current “tension” between the royal family and the Caribbean.

“If the king started with an apology, followed the path of justice with reparations, and then pushed it forward into actual day-to-day activities that would help boost the Caribbean economy, that could easily ease the tension,” he said.

Buckingham Palace said Historic Royal Palaces – the charity that manages six sites including the Tower of London and Kensington Palace – is partnering in an independent study exploring the British royal family Links to the slave trade. Buckingham Palace also said King Charles took the issue very seriously.

The Wide Lens poll may spark discussion about moments of change in the monarchy, but it also paints a picture of continuity. The overall findings show that the royal family still enjoys broad support, with a small but not insignificant skepticism.

Multiple polls have found similar results over the years, with the royal family’s popularity ebbing and flowing with the news. There seems to be a high point around 2011-2012. Prince William and Kate were married at the time, and the Queen was celebrating the diamond jubilee of her 60th reign.

In the following years there was a downward trend. The royal ratings took another hit earlier this year with the publication of Prince Harry’s autobiography, Spare, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t recover.

It will also depend on how far the current trend of young people becoming less enthusiastic about the monarchy continues.

Previously, the long-term, continuous survey of “British Social Attitudes” found that as people grow older, people tend to change their original intentions and become more sympathetic to the monarchy.

No doubt the new king will be watching closely and hoping this pattern continues.

YouGov for “Wide-angle lensThe figures in the poll by The Times are weighted and represent all British adults, with the same sample also including additional respondents from ethnic minority backgrounds.