An Unexpected Royal Just Beat Princess Kate in the Latest Royal Family Popularity Poll—and It Wasn't Princess Charlotte

Prepare to be shocked.

Princess Kate attending the Commonwealth Games 2026, she is a woman with long brown curly hair wearing a dark green blazer, a striped top, and a white pleated skirt
(Image credit: Getty Images/Michael McGurk/Euan Cherry)

Princess Kate is an incredibly influential member of the Royal Family. While her fashion choices cause items of clothing to immediately sell out, her hair and beauty decisions also inspire a plethora of royal fans around the globe. However, in the latest poll regarding who the most popular member of the Royal Family is, Princess Kate was beaten by an unexpected person.

According to the latest YouGov poll, Prince William is currently the most popular member of the British Royal Family. 76 percent of those asked had a positive opinion of the Prince of Wales, compared to 74 percent for his wife Princess Kate.

Princess Anne came third place in the poll, with 70 percent of voters sharing a positive opinion about the Princess Royal. Unfortunately for King Charles, his popularity appears to have waned, with the monarch only receiving a score of 60 percent.

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While Prince Edward drew a positive opinion of 53 percent, his wife, Duchess Sophie, received only 51 percent. Still, both scored considerably higher than Queen Camilla, who scored just 43 percent.

Prince William and Princess Kate with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis arrive for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at The Hydro on August 1, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland

Prince William is currently the most popular member of the British Royal Family.

(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

According to YouGov, Prince William and Princess Kate "continue to be the most positively viewed royals, with around three quarters of Britons seeing the Waleses in a favorable light, figures largely unchanged over the last few years."

When it comes to the Royal Family in general, a larger percentage of voters appear to view the institution in a more negative light.

"Attitudes towards the family and monarchy as a whole remain mostly positive, with around six in ten Britons seeing the Royal Family in general and the institution of the monarchy in favorable lights, though a persistent third see both negatively," YouGov reported.

Prince William Princess Kate summer rewind

Princess Kate and Prince William secured the top two slots in the popularity poll.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

For now, at least, Prince William is reportedly the most popular member of the Royal Family.

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Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.