New Poll Reveals This Royal Is Now The Most Popular

From Prince Harry and Meghan's Megxit to California, to reports of drama between brothers Harry and William, it's been quite a year for the royal family — and news on the famous Brits continues to surprise us. According to a poll by YouGov, Prince William took the title as most popular royal, with an approval rating of 75 percent (via Yahoo! Entertainment). Shocking to all since the queen usually takes the prize, the royal matriarch earned a 73 percent. To top it all off, William and the Queen have tied as most famous, with 99 percent of people having heard of them.

This is the first time Prince William has beat out the rest of the royals for the title of most popular, with wife Kate Middleton usually ranking higher. So why the popularity surge? Apart from his dashing good looks, the Duke of Cambridge has committed to causes like the environment, showing his integrity and eye towards the future.

Mental health is also important to William. Both William and his brother Harry spoke about this in the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, creating a bridge between the public and their trauma (via Vanity Fair). Working with football players to talk about men's mental health, Prince William has shown the public his authenticity, increasing his approval rating.

After Prince William, how do the other royals rank?

Prince Harry and wife Meghan's popularity has seemingly diminished after the Megxit ordeal, at least in the eyes of U.K. residents. Prince Harry is the 8th most popular royal and 4th most famous, while Meghan is the 11th most popular at a low 32 percent approval rating (via Yahoo! Entertainment). That being said, Meghan is more famous than most other royals, at 5th place just below her husband (via Yahoo). Living in the U.S., the royal couple is currently pursuing other ventures like their new Archewell foundation and even producing content for Netflix under a megawatt, $100 million plus deal (via Elle). 

Prince Charles, Harry and William's father and the heir to the throne, is the 7th most popular royal, with a slightly low approval rating at 47 percent. His wife Camilla is the 9th most popular, which could be for a multitude of reasons (not limited to people who just watched the 4th season of The Crown and got a glimpse of the Charles-Camilla-Diana love triangle). For these reasons, it will surely be interesting to see how Charles' popularity plays out when he becomes king. All in all, although the British royal family ranks wildly differently in popularity, the figures change on a yearly basis and are by no means set in stone.