His Majesty King Charles III waited most of his life to become head of the monarchy, but according to the latest YouGov opinion polls, his public popularity is waning. In the royal family favourability ratings in October 2025 he came in fourth place, but this time around, his popularity leaves him in fifth.

The Princess of Wales scoops top spot, followed by her husband, the Prince of Wales, who is heir to the throne. In third place is Princess Anne, who is often coined as the hardest working royal. In fourth place comes King Charles’ brother, Prince Edward.

King Charles III arrives at L.F. Wade International Airport following the three day State Visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the United States of America, on April 30, 2026 in Hamilton, Bermuda. The Royal Visit is the first by King Charles III to a British Overseas Territory as Sovereign and the first ever visit by a reigning King to Bermuda. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)© Getty Images
Charles has moved down one place in the opinion polls

Charles ranks in slot five and below that come Duchess Sophie, Zara Tindall, Queen Camilla, the Duke of Kent and the Duchess of Kent. The Duchess of Kent sadly died at age 92 in 2025. Interestingly, Prince Harry features all the way down in 14th place, with his wife Meghan Markle ranking higher than him in 12th. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, meanwhile, is clinging on to a position on the list, featuring in slot 20.

harry meghan sydney© Getty Images
Meghan is more popular than Harry according to YouGov

The King’s popularity stateside

While the polls may leave Charles’ popularity in question, his US state visit has proved he’s extremely popular stateside, and has largely been branded a huge success. Throughout the trip, President Trump repeatedly praised King Charles, calling him “fantastic” and emphasising the deep historical ties between the two nations. In one notably warm moment, the president was even photographed affectionately touching the King’s knee.

While addressing the King and Queen, Donald Trump confessed his mother, Mary Trump, “had a crush” on King Charles when he was younger, adding that she thought “he was so cute.”

King Charles and U.S. President Donald Trump pose during a farewell ceremony at the White House © Getty Images
Donald Trump had nothing but praise for King Charles

King Charles hits Bermuda

No doubt His Majesty will be trying to replicate this success in Bermuda, the British island territory he flew to straight after his American tour.

King Charles greets members of the public during a ceremonial welcome at King's Square© Getty Images
King Charles greets members of the public during a ceremonial welcome at King’s Square in Bermuda

Upon his arrival, the King was greeted with a magnificent ceremonial welcome at King’s Square in St. George’s with a 21-gun salute. Crowds adored getting a glimpse of the British royal and local school children cheered for the landmark visit.

Turbulent times for the royal family

These captivating overseas visits will be a PR dream for the royal family who have experienced a mountain of negative press in recent times, due to the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal. King Charles’ brother, Andrew, has been stripped of his royal titles following connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in front of an iron fence© Samir Hussein/WireImage
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles and honours

In January, the former Prince was met with more scrutiny after a new batch of Epstein files was released by the US government, including concerns over his role as UK trade envoy. The following month, Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday and held in custody for 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The investigation continues.