91% of Britons have a negative opinion of Prince Andrew, the most ever recorded by YouGov
It’s been yet another damaging month for Prince Andrew, with further revelations about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein leading to him agreeing to no longer use titles such as the Duke of York. But with the King being heckled about the scandal earlier this week, has the latest controversy impacted opinion on the wider royal family?
Given his already low levels of popularity, there wasn’t much further for opinion on Prince Andrew to sink, but 91% of Britons now say they have a negative opinion of the controversial royal, up from 87% in August and the highest ever recorded by YouGov.
This shift is even more acute when looking at those who see the former Duke of York very negatively, which has increased from 69% to 81%. Only 4% of Britons see Andrew favourably, the joint-lowest on record.
But there’s no knock-on effect to other royals. The Prince and Princess of Wales remain the most positively viewed members of the family, with 76% having a good opinion of William and 73% of his wife Catherine. These figures are both largely unchanged from last month, as is the 70% with a positive opinion of Princess Anne.
Opinion on the King himself has improved fractionally, with 62% of Britons having a positive view of King Charles, compared to 59% in August. Nonetheless, 29% of the public do see the King in a negative light.
A separate recent YouGov poll found the public are divided on the King's handling of the matters surrounding Prince Andrew, with 40% saying he has managed the issue well but 32% saying he has done so badly.
Queen Camilla remains a divisive figure, with nearly half of Britons (45%) viewing her positively and four in ten (41%) seeing her negatively, though the latter has fallen three points since August.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are still seen negatively by most Britons, with the public seeing Harry negatively by 58% to 30% and Meghan by 66% to 21%.
How do Britons feel about the monarchy, October 2025?
Attitude towards the monarchy itself, though, has taken a small hit, with the proportion of the public with negative opinions of the royal family in general and the institution of the monarchy both increasing by four points since August, to 34% and 36% respectively.
Nonetheless, nearly six in ten Britons (56-59%) have positive opinions of both and, even if it has fallen from 65% in August, 62% of the public believe Britain should continue to have a monarchy, compared to just 25% who feel we should have an elected head of state instead.
A clear majority of Britons (57%) also feel the institution of the monarch is overall good for Britain, while the public tend to see the royal family as good value for money by 50% to 33%.
What do voters think about the monarchy, October 2025?
Conservative voters are consistently the most positive towards the monarchy, with nine in ten (89-91%) believing it is good for Britain and should continue, while 80% say that the institution is something they’re proud of.
Reform UK and Lib Dem voters are also inclined towards the monarchy, preferring it to a presidency by margins of 75% to 13% and 60% to 24% respectively.
Although most Labour voters (54%) likewise think the monarchy should continue, they are split 44% to 40% on whether the royal family is good value for money, with just 35% describing themselves as proud of the monarchy.
Hostility is strongest among Green voters, half of whom (52%) see the royal family as bad value for money, with 39% saying they are embarrassed by the monarchy. Nonetheless, on the key questions they are divided: while 43% favour an elected head of state, 36% support the continuation of the monarchy, with equal numbers saying the monarchy is overall good and bad for Britain (33% in each case).
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Photo: Getty
