A robust majority of the British public would like the constitutional monarchy system to continue in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death, according to a recent YouGov poll.
For the survey (1,727 adults polled), which coincides with the ascendancy of King Charles III, 64% of respondents supported the next era of the monarchy carrying on without any changes — more than three times of those opposing the institution (21%).
The 64% figure may read high, but it's also 11 percentage points short of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee year (2012), when the monarchy reportedly had a favorability rating of 75% among the British public.
Among those surveyed this week:
- 84% of Britons 65 and older support the monarchy's continuation, compared to just 40% of positive respondents from the 18-24 age demographic.
- 87% of Conservative party voters supported retaining the monarchy, a substantial uptick from Liberal Democrats (69%) and Labour party voters (49%).
- From a legacy perspective, 87% of respondents hail Queen Elizabeth II as one of Britain's greatest monarchs. Also, 59% of voters say they believe that Elizabeth changed the monarchy for the better.
- Just 27% of respondents expressed support of Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, formally returning to the United Kingdom from the United States.
As Newsmax chronicled on Wednesday, the waiting lines for the first public viewing of Queen Elizabeth II (lying-in-state at London's Westminster Hall) had a maximum duration time of 2 1/2 hours.
Also, well-wishers reportedly camped out 48 hours in advance, in order to pay their respects in front of the flag-shrouded coffin.
"Inside it was really quite calm and incredibly emotional. A lot of people were in tears, but there was total silence," 50-year-old accountant Sue Harvey told AFP, upon leaving the hall. "[The queen] is everything I have known. I wanted to make sure I did see her, no matter how long the queue was going to be."
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