It’s six months on Wednesday since Charles became King. So, to mark the occasion, Mr S thought he’d ask his fellow royal subjects what they made of the King’s reign thus far. Our septuagenarian monarch had a difficult act to follow in succeeding Elizabeth II but it seems on the whole that he has done a pretty good job. Polling by Redfield and Wilton of 1,500 Britons last week found that some 43 per cent of the public think that Charles III has thus far been a ‘good king’ – slightly ahead of the 42 per cent who replied ‘don’t know’ but nearly three times as many as those who responded ‘no.’
Some 61 per cent of the public report their view of the King has not changed since he ascended to the throne, but of the 30 per cent whose views have changed, 24 per cent said ‘I now have a more positive view of Charles’ compared to the six per cent who claim to have ‘a more negative view.’ And perhaps one reason for that was his controversial decision last week to welcome Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, to Windsor to mark the unveiling of the new Protocol arrangement. Some 42 per cent of those polled said they ‘strongly support’ or ‘support’ the King’s decision compared to nine per cent who were against it.
Still, that approval isn’t necessarily translating into flag-waving adoration. A majority (51 per cent) of those surveyed said they would be unlikely or very unlikely to attend a street party to mark his coronation, compared to 21 per cent who say they are likely or very likely to do so. More though are preparing to watch the ceremony on television, with 39 per cent expecting to do so compared to 27 per cent who will not. Perhaps though, a lack of awareness is still to blame for the lack of a royal buzz, with 40 per cent of those polled for The Spectator suggesting that they had only heard or read a ‘slight amount’ about the Coronation. A mere 14 per cent say they have heard a significant amount about it, while 17 per cent responded they had not heard about it at all. And nearly half (47 per cent) say that the Coronation does not matter to them ‘at all’.
Happy and glorious? We shall see come 6 May…
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