Survey Reveals the UK’s Favorite Royal—and It’s Not Kate Middleton

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Britain has a new favorite royal. Princess Anne has surpassed Princess Catherine and Prince William to become the most popular senior working member of the royal family, according to YouGov polling for the third quarter of 2026. Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter is viewed favorably by 67% of Britons, while just 7% express an unfavorable opinion. Catherine ranks second, with 64% approval and 8% disapproval, followed by William at 62% approval and 12% disapproval.

The yearlong figures, however, suggest that Anne’s popularity has remained largely consistent rather than surged dramatically. In YouGov’s July 2026 report, she recorded a 70% favorability rating. By comparison, Catherine and William have seen much sharper declines. William led the rankings in July with 76% approval, while Catherine followed at 74%. Their ratings have since fallen by 10 percentage points or more, whereas Anne’s standing has changed only modestly.

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The precise reasons for the shift are difficult to establish, though public fatigue with the continuing feud between Prince Harry and Prince William may be a factor. The dispute received renewed attention after Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. in August. “This cannot continue. Two grown men avoiding each other is making them both look petty and foolish. Their feud has become a national joke,” a royal source told Rob Shuter in October. Against that backdrop, Anne has continued to project the dependable image that has long defined her public role.

This is not the first occasion on which Anne has moved ahead of Catherine and William in YouGov’s royal popularity rankings. Her consistently strong numbers allow her to claim the top position whenever the Waleses face a period of unfavorable coverage. She also led the field in January 2023, when Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” triggered intense scrutiny of the royal family. At the time, Anne had a 72% popularity rating, narrowly ahead of William at 70% and Catherine at 68%, according to YouGov.

William and Catherine nevertheless continue to enjoy relatively strong support among the British public. Anne, though, has emerged as the royal family’s most reliable performer in the popularity polls. Often described as the hardest-working royal, she has built her reputation around a demanding schedule, discipline and consistency. “Is The Princess Royal (Anne) the only Royal who actually gets off her a*se? I appreciate it still isn’t the sort of hard work us mere mortals do. She is however the only one I consistently see doing stuff,” one Reddit user wrote in 2025.

That reputation for consistency has kept Anne near the top of royal approval ratings for decades. A 1995 poll found that Britons would have preferred Anne to succeed Queen Elizabeth II rather than King Charles III. Charles was experiencing a turbulent separation from Princess Diana at the time, a factor that damaged his popularity. Even so, the result underscored Anne’s ability to maintain public support during periods of royal upheaval. William and Catherine may well reclaim the top spots, but Anne’s steadfast service and work ethic are likely to keep her firmly among Britain’s most popular royals.