Britain's Prince William is more popular than the Queen

LONDON - Prince William is Britain's most popular royal and is regarded more favourably by the public than either Queen Elizabeth, his grandmother, or Prince Charles, his father and heir to the throne, a poll showed on Sunday.

The poll, by ComRes for The Independent on Sunday newspaper, canvassed more than 2,000 Britons and showed that Britain's royals are more popular than any of the country's politicians, including Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.

Sixty-eight per cent of those asked said they had a favourable view of Prince William, 63 per cent of the Queen, 43 per cent of Prince Charles, and 28 per cent of Cameron, the country's most popular political party leader.

The poll, which was conducted on June 11-13, was not the first time that Prince William has been identified as the most popular royal. His wife Kate gave birth to a baby son last year amid a global media frenzy, boosting the couple's profile.

The survey's overall result confirms previous polling which suggests that the popularity of the British monarchy is at its highest level in decades.

The Queen, 88, is in good health and has been on the throne since 1952. If she decides to step down, as Spain's King Juan Carlos did earlier this month, Prince Charles, her 65-year-old son, is next-in-line for the throne.

Prince William, 31, is third-in-line.