Britons would prefer having the crown skip Prince Charles and go to his elder son Prince William when Queen Elizabeth II dies, new polls showed yesterday.
The polls, one showing a clear majority for the 22-year-old William and the other giving him just an edge, were published a day after the wedding of Prince Charles and his long-time love Camilla in the town of Windsor, west of London.
A YouGov survey published by the Sunday Times found that 58 percent of Britons wanted Charles to give up his claim to the throne in favor of his son William, against 25 percent who say he should not.
By a majority of 60 percent to 21 percent, those surveyed said they expected William to make a better king than Charles, 56, with women preferring the young prince by a margin of 68 percent to 18 percent.
A separate Mori poll for The Observer and Sunday Mirror found that 42 percent of Britons wanted William to become the next king, compared to 40 percent for Charles.
Only 16 percent of people polled by YouGov think that Camilla, 57, should one day be queen, though 24 percent believe she will eventually be queen.
The prince's residence Clarence House said she will describe herself as Princess Consort if Charles accedes to the throne, but it is likely a law would have to be adopted to prevent her officially assuming the title of queen.
The Mori poll suggested that the royal wedding had failed to make any impact on the public's resistance to Camilla becoming queen if Charles ascends to the throne.
Some 63 percent said she should not do so in the poll conducted this week, compared to 62 percent in a similar survey in May 2002.
The same poll found 22 percent support for Britain becoming a republic, which has changed little from the 18 percent recorded as long ago as 1969.
In a finding that confirms widespread public support for yesterday's wedding, the poll found 64 percent believed the couple should marry, although a substantial 21 percent said they neither knew nor cared.
YouGov questioned 1,552 adults for the Sunday Times between April 7 and 9. The Mori poll for The Observer and Sunday Mirror was based on a sample of 1,004 people.
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