Princess Anne Tops Royal Popularity Poll, Overtaking Prince and Princess of Wales

Princess Anne has been named the nation's most popular royal, according to the latest third-quarter 2026 YouGov poll, overtaking Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William for the top position. The Princess Royal, 76, secured a net approval rating with 67 percent of respondents liking her and 7 percent disliking her.

The rankings, which assess public favorability of British Royal Family members, show Kate with a popularity rate of 64 percent and William at 62 percent. King Charles III was favored by 53 percent of those polled.

While the Prince and Princess of Wales typically lead such surveys, Princess Anne's strong showing was attributed to her popularity among men and Baby Boomers. Prince William was most popular among millennials, his own age group, with 60 percent favoring him. Catherine, Princess of Wales, was most popular among Generation X and women.

Following the top royals, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, ranked fifth with 47 percent favorability, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, was sixth with 45 percent. Zara Tindall placed seventh, followed by Queen Camilla and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Prince Harry's popularity saw a slight increase following his return to the UK in August, with 29 percent of respondents viewing him positively and 41 percent negatively. This marks an improvement from earlier in the year when his positive rating was 25 percent and negative rating was 54 percent. His wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had a net approval of minus 21 percent, with 22 percent liking her and 49 percent disliking her. Her negative sentiment increased from the first quarter of the year.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, did not appear in the rankings. Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, was favored by 11 percent of respondents.

Princess Anne is often recognized for her extensive public service. Last month, she received an honorary degree from the University of Lincoln for her contributions to public life and her support of agriculture and rural communities. During her visit to the university, she learned about innovative work at a geothermal glasshouse facility.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently made their first joint public appearance in Nottingham since their return from California. The couple engaged with well-wishers during several engagements in the East Midlands.