REUTERS: Only a minority of Britons under 50 support the monarchy

[TallerSally]

The chart below, along with the unprecedented level of social media (and even royalty!) mocking around Katespiracy and Katephotogate, could send a chill down the RF's spine.

Whilst 70% of those aged 65+ and 50% of the 50-64 (the demographic on MN?) support the monarchy, this drops to 30% among the 25-49 and ONLY 19% among the 18-24s - YouGov Jan 24 data.

Some will say "that's nowt new!" But with TikTok, X and other SM having unprecedented reach (far more than mainstream media) and cultivating literally thousands of GenZ and Millennial mini-influencers, and with the RF in its current state of turmoil (some of it illness-related, some not, incl. Prince William being largely MIA, the RF's reluctance to deal with Prince Andrew and his grifting ex-wife, Rose Hanbury and extra child (!!) rumours, the casting-out and continued vilification of M&H, the embarrassment that is uncle Gary, etc etc), are comparisons to a decade ago going to be helpful in predicting what this means for the RF in the future? I doubt it.

We all know the billionaire RF continue to sustain their taxpayer and IHT exemption-funded luxury lives thanks to the public's goodwill, hence they employ loads of professional PR people to do their comms. But if there's anything recent events have shown, KP in particular suck at it, with the KP comms team the subject of derision and ridicule around the globe.

It's easy to say "they've weathered worse", but the past isn't a guarantor of the future. I'm sure Boris Johnson also thought he could lie to the public forever... until one day, the tide turned. Not saying this is an identical situation, but the recent lies emanating from KP (I'm sorry, issuing a fake 'proof of life' photo is equivalent to telling a lie) are part of a culture of secrecy and public manipulation.

And consider this: last August, the above numbers were:
80% of those aged 65+ and 67% of the 50-64s support the monarchy, versus 56% among the 25-49s and 37% among the 18-24s. So a drop of 26pp (percentage points) for the 25-49s, and 18pp for the 18-24s.

And who's to say what the numbers will be post-Katephotogate?

https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/uk-monarchy-suffers-an-impairment-its-goodwill-2024-03-13/

@TallerSally well I hope so, I really do. Not one of the main political parties is talking about this either. why wont they give us a vote on the Royals. probably too worried they would lose their peerages if they did I suppose. this whole thing - root and branch - royals, peerages, house of lords the lot needs reform. not edge tinkering but real examination. I cant even protest about it. if you turn up at a royal visit holding a blank card you get moved on or arrested.

^ This.
I could've written that post, I am a similar age, I honestly used to be a full blown Royalist a long time ago. I remember hotly defending them on an early version of a forum, when it was called a BB
That stands for 'Bulletin Board ' which was a front runner to forums

Then things happen. I changed. I researched, I read, I looked into stuff as much as I could. I started feeling uncomfortable about certain Royals behaviour and their standards....Princess Margaret, the Charles and Di years, Andrew, Sarah and Andrew again and again

The covering up and glossing over got worse and worse, Royals never apologising for anything, manipulation of the public, and the financials and total opacity
Yes we get a Royal Report once a year, it doesn't even scratch the surface of what we don't know
Then there's all the artworks, jewels, stamps worth billions all hidden from the public's view
And the 27 royal residences they own scattered across the UK

I could go on and on
I thought Charles might be different. I held out hope for change, then he had his massive fuck off coronation
Why didn't he sat in example and pay for it himself? Then William would have done the same.
It cost £100million. Charles is a double billionaire
No. He stuck it to the public during a CoL crisis
Greed. Pure greed, the lot of them

Yes and at the Coronation ...even when Republic had agreed a place they could stand with the Met, they were arrested and held for the whole day.
And the Met ended up also arresting night workers that work for a charity handing out rape alarms for vulnerable women.

Disgusting

I'm over 50 (just), and I'd ditch the entire royal family in a heartbeat. The entire concept of a 'royal family' in 2024 is absolutely ludicrous.

@Roussette there is no freedom of expression or speech where the royal family are concerned. the nearest we got to it was when charles and camilla married and a number of people stood outside turned their backs. No news media showed it, but it happened. At the point where I cannot even protest in public about wanting a republic and making that protest at a royal event, there is something very seriously wrong.

This is why I’ve long advocated for people being asked the question. Not necessarily a referendum initially . Just ask the question , in a ballot paper as a matter of course during an election or some other way that seems reasonable .

We are fed a lot of propaganda- the best sort of course because they’ve been doing it for a long time - and we are told the ‘royals ’ are popular . I don’t believe it . It was stark during mournathon, clumsy even

Absolutely yes to reform of ‘honours ‘ and of the House of Lords

Yes and I have seen the footage of the guy holding up a blank piece of paper and the police arresting him when Charles was doing a public visit somewhere
It's a joke

@mummymeister
Thank you
The treatment of peaceful protesters ( arrest and omission from
the media ) continues to alarm many people

It is always alarming when speech is stifled. Of course, some will happily turn a blind eye provided it’s only applied to people that threaten their own positions.

“Officer came and asked for my details. He confirmed that if I wrote ‘Not My King’ on it, he would arrest me under the Public Order Act because someone might be offended.”

Paul Powlesland was not arrested.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/13/man-threatened-with-arrest-if-he-wrote-not-my-king-on-blank-sign-17362896/amp/

Sounds like one officer misunderstood the law but didn’t actually follow through with misapplying it.

I think we all agree “offending someone” should not result in any negative consequence to a person.

This is who you meant, right?

Being “meh” about the monarchy is not the same as being actively anti. The fact that so many people are enjoying Harry/Meghan/Kate surely indicates that the rf are of interest, anyway.

What is quite peculiar - and I just can’t compute- is why professed republicans - on MN at least - love Harry and Meghan. I’ve even seen some asking if Harry could take over!!!!

No @AliceOlive

I understand you are an American and live in the US so I don’t doubt the arrests and outrage passed you by
Ive no doubt the international news was the Disney ‘pomp’

The above you link to was one of many incidents culminating in 64 arrests on the day of the Coronation ( afaik only 5 went on to be charged )

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/30/only-five-of-64-arrested-at-king-charles-coronation-charged-offence-metropolitan-policec

Tbe first was Symon Hill who was thrown in back of a police van for shouting’ who elected him?’ when passing the proclamation. In Oxford . Charges dropped
weeks later
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/21276222.anti-monarchist-arrested-shouting-oxford-proclamation/

There were others arrested or threatened with arrest for holding up a sign during mournathon .
I remember an incident in Wales too after the coronation

Note to self, GB News is now a valid news source for republicans, along with the Murdoch Times and The Daily Mail. Dan Wooten will be kicking himself.

What is quite peculiar - and I just can’t compute- is why professed republicans - on MN at least - love Harry and Meghan. I’ve even seen some asking if Harry could take over

Are you sure you're not confusing 'love' with 'not hating'?

I'm a Republican. I don't love M&H - I don't know them. However, I don't hate them either - why the heck should I? - which is enough on many threads to be accused of 'loving them.'

I find anyone 'loving' or 'hating' people they don't know based on media coverage absolutely baffling, tbh.

Is there other footage of someone holding up a blank sign and getting arrested? I couldn’t find it.

No, I’ve seen it also.

@AliceOlive

https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information/explainer-anti-monarchy-protests/

There are posters on the thread who do seem to “love” Meghan (and by association Harry). One cuts and pastes glowing pieces (and bolds them) about Meghan. It just strikes me that if you turn up on this thread as a republican, why are you whooping about a pair who wanted to be half in, half out, and made a Sussex Royal website, continue to use titles and have opted for titles for their children.

That’s not the blank piece of paper described upthread. Did that not happen?

Righty ho.

Well, perhaps some Republicans admire M&H for breaking away and prioritising their happiness. It's not too much of an intellectual leap to surmise that some Republicans welcomed members of the royal family rejecting their roles and turning away from the institution.

@Ceriscene - but they did not.

Maybe because they like them? Seems obvious really.