Half favour William as next King Anthony King, Robert Hardman
Earl asks Blair for privacy law
FOR the first time, an opinion poll has indicated that more than half of the British people believe that Prince William should succeed to the throne in place of his father. While there remains overwhelming support for the monarchy with only 11 per cent in favour of a republic, a large majority favours a "more democratic and approachable" institution on Continental lines.
A Gallup survey for The Telegraph, carried out after Saturday's funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, also shows that most people believe that events since the Princess's death have damaged the reputation of the Queen and the Royal Family. The same poll indicates that the standing of the tabloid press has sunk by a far greater degree.
The findings underline a general feeling, observed by the Palace and Downing Street in recent days, that while Britain remains a staunchly monarchist society, it seeks changes in the Royal Family.
As with all polls, St James's Palace refused to comment on the survey last night. A friend of the Prince of Wales said: "The poll results no doubt reflect the nation's great pride in Prince William for performing so bravely on Saturday and it is a pride which is strongly shared by his father."
The most striking result from the survey is a decline in support for the Prince of Wales over the past three years. When Gallup asked a similar question in 1994 only 24 per cent of respondents were in favour of him stepping aside for his son. The number believing that the throne should "skip a generation" is now 51 per cent.
Today, 41 per cent remain convinced that the Prince of Wales should succeed. Three years ago the comparable figure was 66 per cent. This result is particularly surprising since he was associated with moves to give the Royal Family a more public profile in the days before the funeral.
The principal criticism levelled against him in the media had been for taking his sons to church on the morning after the Princess's death. However, 62 per cent believe that this decision was right.
Although 64 per cent of Gallup's respondents say they still respect the Royal Family, an increase on the mid-1990s, a substantial majority, 53 per cent, believe that "events of the past 10 days have done damage to the public standing of the Queen and the Royal Family".
A similar proportion, 55 per cent, say that Earl Spencer did intend to criticise the Royal Family in his funeral address and, in addition, that he was right to do so.
Gallup's findings suggest something approaching a consensus on the need for modernisation in the Monarchy and the Royal Family. Three years ago, 54 per cent held that view, with 29 per cent believing they "should stay pretty much as they are now". Today, 71 per cent favour a more democratic monarchy, with 15 per cent in favour of the status quo.
The Palace can derive satisfaction from the fact that events surrounding the funeral did nothing for the republican cause. Only 11 per cent favour a republic - against 12 per cent supporting the idea in 1994. And no less than 83 per cent backed a law to give greater privacy to the Royal Family and other public figures.
The only institution to suffer more than the Royal Family as a result of the Princess's death is the tabloid press. No fewer than 59 per cent of people say their opinion of tabloid newspapers such as the Sun, the Mirror and the Mail has "gone down" as a result of what has happened.
Both the Palace and the Prime Minister will now be keen to enhance the standing of the Prince of Wales in the months ahead.
In the past few days, Tony Blair has established a considerable rapport with the Prince, who, earlier this year, had been attacked by Conservatives for being too closely associated with certain Labour projects.
Despite the Prince's successes with the Prince's Trust and his heavy programme of engagements, it is clear that the Prince's perceived differences with his former wife remain uppermost in the mind of a public deeply distressed by her death.
Certainly, the Royal Family would not countenance tampering with the line of succession in this way. And both the family and the Government would be loath to set a precedent which would not only play into republican hands but place an intolerable burden on Prince William.
Any such move before the death of the Queen would also have serious financial implications. The Prince of Wales receives no public funds but derives his income from the Duchy of Cornwall which can be held only by a reigning monarch's eldest son who must also be heir to the throne.
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