· Under a half think Camilla is a good ambassador
· British public favour William over Charles as next monarch
· Huge approval rating for Kate Middleton
· A difficult year has humanised the Royals say British public
· Pro-Monarchy public relate to Royals better than ever before
· Britons see Queen Victorias expansion of empire as one of the most memorable moments in British History
London, 28 December 2007 She might have won the hearts of Princes William and Harry, but when it comes to accepting her as a legitimate member of the Royal family the nation is split on whether or not Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall makes the grade, research suggests today. In a groundbreaking new study on attitudes towards the Windsors and the monarchy at large, 42 per cent of those questioned thought Camilla was a good ambassador for the Royal family, with under a third (31%) stating that they felt more warmly towards her since her marriage to Prince Charles.On the whole, the nation said they had more admiration for Diana, with 68 per cent indicating a preference for the late Princess over Camilla. A nation-wide poll of 1,004 people was commissioned by Discovery Channel to mark the launch of History Night from next Wednesday, 2nd January, beginning with the landmark Monarchy series and including other seminal programmes including Blood on Our Hands, The Michaelangelo Code and The Somme. The poll was conducted by Populus with interviews taking place across the country by telephone and results weighted to be representative of all adults. Other results see Prince William voted as Brits top choice for the next monarch, pipping his father to the post in the popularity stakes as most-favoured for the role of King, with 54 per cent indicating their preference that the second in line be the next to take the throne. The surge of popularity towards the young royal being crowned King has come mainly from the18-24 year -olds, with 70 per cent wanting William to rule. This is compared with just under half (47%) of 55-64 year-olds polled agreeing that William would make for the better King. The groundswell of goodwill towards William as future King appears to have been helped by his rekindled romance with Kate Middleton, with an overwhelming vote of support for Kate as a Princess in the making. Only 18 per cent thought that she wouldnt make a good addition to the Royal family while just over half (51%) of those polled agreed that her entry into the family would be positive for the Windsors in their battle to continue the upswing of support for the Monarchy.
Although the public favour William to be King, his accession may well be a way off yet with the majority of the allegiance remaining with Queen Elizabeth II. Despite celebrating her 81st birthday recently, a huge 81 per cent of those polled were adamant that she should not step down in the near future to allow Prince Charles to lead the house of Windsor.
Journalist, broadcaster and former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond, oversaw the Discovery poll on the eve of Discoverys History Night launch next week and said of the findings: "Camilla is still facing an uphill struggle for public acceptance. Diana - particularly with the inquest into her death - continues to make headline news and this poll reflects the fact that many people are unwilling ever to forgive or forget the hurt caused to the Princess. In my view Camilla should be accepted for what she is: a loving, fun, happy second wife who makes her husband very contented. Prince Charles does seem to have a real image problem. Even though he is undoubtedly the best-trained heir to the throne we've ever had, the public seem reluctant to accept him as King. The damage to his image caused by the break-down of his marriage to Diana seems irreparable. I think it's sad; we should be more forgiving as a nation and accept that Charles is a far wiser head on more experienced shoulders than a boy of 25 who still has much to learn and do, she continued.
She added "Support for retaining the monarchy remains fairly constant - and, some will find, surprisingly high. 76 per cent favour monarchy over Republic. It is a high approval rate by any measure and is largely due to the constancy of the Queen's long reign. She should give herself a pat on the back for a job well done."
Though not an Annus Horribilis, 2007 has not been without its challenges for the Royals with Crowngate and the BBCs misleading documentary footage of the Queen, along with the inquest into Dianas death. 42 per cent of those polled said the familys dignity under fire this year had softened their feelings towards them; surprisingly both men and women were equally sympathetic toward the plight of the Queen and her family, with one in four of both genders expressing their compassion.
Just under a fifth of respondents (19%) said that the inquest into the death of Diana had caused substantial damage to the Royal family while at the other end of the scale just under quarter (24%) thought it had done no damage at all.
Scandal, sensationalism and divorce have all helped to humanise the Royals over the past few years and have brought them closer to home. The British public has stated that they consider the Royals to be more human now than they were in years gone by, with nearly three quarters of the population (73%) expressing that it is these very weaknesses that liken the Royals to ourselves.
The Queens relentless schedule and commitment to the Monarchy has won her the title of hardest working Royal, with just under half of all respondents (49%) acknowledging her huge workload to vote her as top worker. The Prince of Wales follows with 17 per cent, and Princes William and Harry, following in their mothers footsteps, were deemed third and fourth hardest working respectively (10% and 5%). A quarter (26%) of 18-24 year-olds thought that Prince William was the hardest working Royal while only 4 per cent of those who are 65 and over agreed they were more than twice as likely to think the Queen was the hardest working member of the Royal family (65%) as 18-24 year-olds (31%).
But despite some recent turbulent times for the Royals, in a vote of confidence, 76 per cent of Britons responded wholeheartedly in favour of retaining the Monarchy as an institution, believing Britain would be worse off if they were abolished. However the nation is split when it comes to whether or not they deliver value for money; only just over half (53%) believe the Royal family delivers the goods while three quarters (75%) would like them to use less of taxpayers money.
To counteract this, 76% of those surveyed said that they would like to see 21st Century Royals working on more high profile charity projects or for them to take up ambassador roles in foreign affairs (59%).
And what are the moments in modern Royal history that have formed our current views towards the Royal family? Dianas death topped the list (56 per cent) followed by the Queens Golden Jubilee (46%). Harry dressed as a Nazi made it into the list with 18 per cent just above Fergies infamous toe-sucking incident which secured 13 per cent of the votes.
Quizzed on what they considered to be the most famous moments in long-term Royal history, the majority of respondents cited the Coronation of Elizabeth II as their top choice (22%) with Queen Victorias expansion of the British Empire and Elizabeth I defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588 both joint second with 15 per cent. In third place was Edward VIIIs abdication to marry Wallis Simpson in 1936 while the beheading of Anne Boleyn ordered by Henry VIII also made the list with 11 per cent.
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