King Charles sinks in opinion polls despite rousing speech on US State Visit

Ben McCaffrey
Sat, 02 May 2026 14:24:37 +0000

King Charles has dropped in the Royal Family opinion polls, despite his seemingly successful State Visit to the US this week.

"He’s a great King," Donald Trump said on Thursday, as the conclusion of the monarch's trip loomed. "The greatest King, in my book."

It bookmarked the end of a pretty prosperous State Visit, with a particular highlight coming on Tuesday when the King gave a 30-minute address to Congress.

In which he demonstrated characteristic wit, humour and poignancy, with a nod to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and also giving the President a friendly nudge that what he says in the media can have consequences.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Truthfully, the whole visit was littered with genuine light-hearted moments; namely, when the President revealed his famously royal-loving mother "had a crush" on a young King Charles.

President Trump also lavished praise upon the monarch throughout the trip, repeatedly calling him "fantastic" and highlighting the "special" bonds between Britain and the United States.

He later revealed that the US will lift Scottish whisky tariffs, adding: "The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!"

The reaction from both the US President and the media has been resounding, which is important, because, while the trip was billed as a celebration of the US's 250th anniversary of independence, it also sought to improve the damaged relations between the two nations, given Mr Trump's incessant media barrage of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

However, despite this, according to YouGov, the monarch has actually seen his popularity decrease.

He now sits as the fifth most popular in the Royal Family with 47 per cent, dropping down one place.

LATEST ROYAL NEWS

Prince and Princess of Wales release new footage of Princess Charlotte uncovering hidden passion

Beatrice and Eugenie enjoy London lunch together in rare outing

King ends first full day in Bermuda with garden party

His younger brother, Prince Edward, has leapfrogged him into fourth place with 50 per cent popularity.

The Duke of Edinburgh, along with his wife, Sophie, who sits sixth on the list, has built a sturdy reputation as a reliable and dependable working royal.

Above him sits Princess Anne on 62 per cent, who historically has been widely-regarded as the hardest-working royal.

The Princess Royal marked Anzac Day at the end of last month by attending an early morning commemorative service at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, arriving before the 5am start time.

Claiming the top two spots are the Prince (74 per cent) and Princess of Wales (75 per cent).

The couple are often seen as the modern face of the Royal Family, with the heir to the throne reportedly taking a driving seat in important decisions behind closed doors.

Beyond the top five, Zara Tindall and Queen Camilla occupy seventh and eighth after the Duchess of Edinburgh in the subsequent rankings.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent also feature, though the latter passed away at 92 last year.

Propping up the list is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with just 11 per cent.