Public want Prince William to leapfrog his father Charles to become next monarch

The British public want Prince William to leapfrog his father Charles to become the next monarch when the Queen’s reign ends, a poll found.

Just 27 per cent of Britons want the Prince of Wales to be king – compared to 47 per cent for the Duke of Cambridge. 

Unsurprisingly, those aged between 18 and 24 want Prince Harry to bypass his brother and father to become King – despite the Duke of Sussex being only sixth in line to the throne. 

But 51 per cent of those polled said the Sussexes – the couple generally more-popular with younger Britons – damaged the monarchy’s reputation, The Mirror reports.

The British public want Prince William to leapfrog his father Charles (the family in 2019) to become the next monarch when the Queen’s reign ends, a poll found

Just 27 per cent of Britons want the Prince of Wales to be king – compared to 47 per cent for the Duke of Cambridge

It follows the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, where they claimed one royal had ‘concerns’ about ‘how dark’ Archie’s skin would be – but they refused to name who it was.

It was later confirmed that the person was not the Queen nor Prince Philip. 

Just over 40 per cent of people think the Queen should remain in her position until her death – while  27 per cent feel she should step down if she falls ill.

The majority of Britons wanting William to be the next monarch will no-doubt be a blow to the palace’s push restore the Prince of Wales’ public image after his 1996 divorce from Princess Diana and her 1997 death. 

The poll comes amid an already-tumultuous year for the Firm, after the Sussexes’ two-hour televised sit-down with Ms Winfrey at the start of this month left the royal family facing one of its worst crises for generations.

The majority of Britons wanting William (pictured with Kate) to be the next monarch will no-doubt be a blow to the palace’s push restore the Prince of Wales’ public image after his 1996 divorce from Princess Diana and her 1997 death

Meghan said an unnamed royal – later confirmed to not be the Queen nor the Duke of Edinburgh – raised concerns with Harry about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.

The duchess also told how she contemplated suicide but was not supported by the institution even when she begged for help. 

Harry said he felt ‘let down’ by his father the Prince of Wales, said he was cut off financially by his family in the months before Megxit, and expressed his shock at his loss of taxpayer-funded security.

The interview was aired while Harry’s grandfather 99-year-old Philip was in hospital recovering from heart surgery.

Unsurprisingly, those aged between 18 and 24 want Prince Harry (pictured with Meghan) to bypass his brother and father to become King – despite the Duke of Sussex being only sixth in line to the throne

Royal biographer Penny Junor earlier described the crisis as worse than the abdication of Edward VIII.

‘The circumstances are very different. Edward VIII was pushed out, whereas Harry and Meghan chose to leave – but I think this is more damaging,’ she said.

‘It looked as if Edward’s abdication was going to damage the monarchy, but in fact, it didn’t because his brother was ready to step into his shoes, and George VI did a really good job and restored the reputation of the monarchy.’

She added of the Oprah interview: ‘These are really terrible accusations that that will stick.’