London, Thanasis Gavos

62% of British citizens think Charles will be a “good” king, according to new poll YouGov account of the Times newspaper a few days before the coronation ceremony.

This percentage represents a large increase in the popularity of the new monarch, as the corresponding poll in March showed that only 39% had the same view.

The percentage of those who say that Charles will be a “bad” king is down to 20%, from 31% in the March poll.

Overall, 62% of respondents have a positive opinion of Karolos. The corresponding figure last year, when he was still Prince of Wales, was 54%.

As far as the institution of the monarchy is concerned, 60% are in favor of its preservation and 26% want the replacement of the king by an elected head of state.

This poll also confirms the large discrepancy in opinions about the monarchy between the oldest and the young. 78% of respondents over the age of 65 are in favor of the institution, while the corresponding percentage in the 18-24 age group drops to 32%.

As YouGov’s head of European political and social research Anthony Wells commented, there have been occasional fluctuations in Charles’ popularity, but since he became king there has been “a really big jump”.

The most popular members of the royal family, however, are still the Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate with 73% and 71% positive opinions respectively.

Second pollon behalf of the Daily Mail by pollster Lord Ashcroft in a sample of 11,450 citizens, confirms support for the institution of the monarchy.

When asked if they would vote in favor of maintaining the monarchy in a referendum, 56% answered affirmatively, 23% negatively and 21% answered that they did not know or would not vote. Among those over 65, the percentage of “yes” reaches 74%, but among those aged 18-24 it drops to 28%.

However, in the question of how the citizens think the country would vote in such a referendum in 50 years, 38% believe that the abolition of the monarchy would win, compared to 20%. 42% state that they cannot make a prediction.

Two in three say the monarchy “may seem strange in this day and age”, but the same proportion believe it brings “stability” to the country. And 73% believe that the royal family must “modernize” if it is to survive.

King Charles is the sixth most popular member of the royal family, with 54% favorable opinion, behind his mother Prince William, Princess Diana, his sister Princess Anne and Kate Middleton.

Polls in the past few days showed that the majority of the British support the monarchy, but this support is on the decline.

The polls are published as Buckingham Palace announced that more than 2,200 people from 203 countries will be invited to Westminster Abbey for the coronation ceremony on Saturday. Among them the heads of about 100 states.