ROYAL POLL: Should King Charles remain the UK's head of state? VOTE HERE
The King has been head of state since September 2022
PA
King Charles has been the UK's head of state since September 2022, after his mother Queen Elizabeth II held the position for 70 years.
However, there is a growing sect of the population that would prefer an elected head of state.
According to a recent YouGov poll, Britons aged 18 to 24 are the largest group to prefer the option of an elected head of state, with only 19 per cent of respondents voting in favour of King Charles III.
This left 50 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voting in favour of an elected head of state.
In comparison, Britons aged 65 and over were one of two groups to overwhelmingly support King Charles as head of state, with 70 per cent of respondents voting in favour of the monarch.
The other group who voted 70 per cent in favour of King Charles were those who voted for the Conservative Party at the last General Election in 2019.
Since King Charles became monarch, the organisation Republic has advocated for the removal of the King as head of state.
Group members frequently appear at royal events like the Coronation and Commonwealth Day Service with banners reading: "Not My King".
King Charles and Queen Camilla photographed at St Paul's Cathedral
Getty
The group argues that with an elected head of state, their actions, behaviour and public spending are all open to proper scrutiny, and if they do something wrong they could be removed from their position.
Republic does not support a system based on France or the US, where the head of state is involved in making political decisions or running the government.
Instead, it supports a non-partisan head of state.
The advantage of having the monarch as head of state, however, means that King Charles can act as a focus for national identity, unity and pride.
Republic is a group of anti-monarchy protestersPALATEST ROYAL NEWS:
King Charles pictured at the State Opening of Parliament
PAThe King also gives a sense of stability and continuity, which the late Queen Elizabeth II did for seven decades.
The late Queen was often seen as a source of British "soft power" and diplomatic influence throughout her 70-year reign, making countless state visits and foreign tours that brought benefits for national security, influence and trade.
A 2017 report by consultancy agency Brand Finance said that the monarchy generated an estimated £150million worth of trade for the UK each year.
Combined with surplus revenues from the Crown Estate, which go to the Treasury, and money from tourism, the total estimated gain for the UK economy was almost £1.8billion.
With that in mind, should King Charles remain the UK's head of state? Have your say in our poll above.
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