Two-thirds want to see Duke of Sussex at May’s crowning, poll finds, despite his damaging attacks on the royals
The majority of the British public think the Duke of Sussex should be invited to King Charles III’s Coronation, a survey has found.
Two-thirds of Britons responded to an Ipsos poll for the London Evening Standard by saying they think the Duke should attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey in May.
However, 30 per cent of the public disagree and think he should stay away after the highly personal and potentially damaging revelations made about members of his family in his autobiography.
The crowning ceremony will take place on May 6 and will be part of a weekend of celebrations including a procession from Buckingham Palace, a day of volunteering for the nation and a concert at Windsor Castle.
The poll of 1,001 Britons between Jan 18 and 25 found a striking age gap between those who support the Duke’s invitation to his father’s celebrations and those who do not.
The 55 and over age group was almost split in half, with 42 per cent against his attendance and 47 per cent in favour of it.
On the other hand, three-quarters of 18 to 34-year-olds were in favour of the Duke attending, as well as the majority – 65 per cent – of 35 to 54-year-olds.
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have declined to address the allegations the Duke levelled against other members of the family in Spare.
But this has not stopped the book apparently affecting public opinion on the royals. Last week, an Ipsos Mori poll found that the Prince of Wales’s ratings have plunged eight percentage points since the book’s publication, while the Princess of Wales has dropped seven points.
However, the memoir has had little impact on the reputation of the Royal family overall, despite the controversies, with 53 per cent saying they feel favourable towards the family and 51 per cent favourable towards the King.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos UK, said: “Despite not being as popular as he once was, most Britons still think Harry should be invited to the Coronation in May, which suggests some hope for reconciliation.”
In an interview with Bryony Gordon of The Telegraph, the Duke demanded that his family apologise to the Duchess of Sussex, saying: “Because you know what you did, and I now know why you did it. And you’ve been caught out, so just come clean and then we could all move on.”