Prince William should be next monarch and not Prince Charles, public poll says

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Prince William would skip the queue as heir to the throne if the public had their way, according to a new poll.

When the Queen’s reign ends, Brits would rather see her grandson step in than 72-year-old son Prince Charles, Deltapoll found.

Adults below 24-years-old would even have Prince Harry as king before his father and older brother.

The Duke of Cambridge took 47% of the public vote in being next in line to wearing the crown, compared to 27% of respondents who want to see tradition continue with the Queen's eldest child.

The results are a huge blow to Prince Charles' ­popularity after great strides were made to improve his public image over the past two decades.

Although more than half – 51% – believe Harry, 36, along with wife Meghan, 39, have damaged the ­reputation of the monarchy.

Pollsters Deltapoll interviewed 1,590 adults between March 31 and April 1.

The data, weighted to be representative of the British adult population as a whole, will come as a shock to the royal family, who launched a PR drive after Charles’s divorce in 1996 from ­Princess Diana and their handling of her tragic death in 1997.

Just over 40% believe the monarch, who turns 95 on April 21, should remain in her ­position until she dies.

A fifth believe she should abdicate if in good health compared to 27% declaring Britain’s longest-serving monarch should choose to abdicate if her health fails.

If given the choice on who should succeed her, William, 38, still comes out on top with Charles, 72, a strong second.

For millennials – those aged 25 to 40 –nearly twice as many people favour Harry taking over compared to Charles.

Among 18 to 24 year olds Harry is the most popular choice, beating William 23% to 22%.

Astonishingly more people would like to see scandal-hit Prince Andrew on the throne before his younger brother Edward.