The most popular member of the Royal Family has been named (Image: Getty)

New polling has revealed which member of the Royal Family is the most popular in Britain, and readers may be surprised to learn that it’s not the Princess of Wales. Kate was, in fact, beaten to the top spot by her husband, Prince William.

Almost three-quarters of Britons (74%) have a positive opinion of the first in line to the throne, according to YouGov’s latest results. Kate follows in second, on 71%, with Princess Anne in third with 70%.

The King ranks fourth with 59% of Britons having a favourable view of the monarch, while Prince Andrew has once again been rated the most unpopular royal, with 87% of Britons having a negative view of him.

Prince William took the top spot (Image: YouGov)

Just 5% have a favourable view of the King’s brother, a figure that has changed little since his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, join Andrew at the bottom of the table. Only 28% have a positive opinion of the Duke of Sussex, with fewer still saying the same of the Duchess (20%).

Beyond the individual royals, the British public are still clear in their support of the royalty – six in ten Britons have a positive view of both the family as a whole (62%) and the underlying institution of the monarchy (58%).

This is roughly double the number of Britons holding the opposing views, with three in ten (30%) holding a negative opinion of the ruling family and 32% sceptical of the monarchy.

Meghan Markle returned to social media earlier this year (Image: GETTY)

Meghan Markle returned to Instagram in January, with her now having attracted, as of today, more than 4.1 million followers. Although she has a backlog of quite a few posts under her belt, the 44-year-old seemingly had adapted a “digital restraint” strategy, which has been described as “masterful”.

Meghan has treated her fans to a range of posts since her return, with some including her two children – who she has largely kept out of the public eye. Her latest post came just hours after her birthday on August 4.

Speaking to the Express, Simon Brisk, who is the co-founder and social media and marketing expert at Click Intelligence, has analysed the thinking behind Meghan’s posting tactic.

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Simon said: “Meghan’s digital restraint is not accidental; it’s masterfully intentional. We’re seeing a shift from the oversharing influencer era to a new phase of curated mystique, and Meghan is leading that transition.”

Discussing her decision to post less frequently, he added: “Her strategy is more aligned with luxury brands than with celebrities: controlled visibility, infrequent drops, and highly consistent tone. She doesn’t need to post often because when she does, the world takes notice.”

The expert then added: “This isn’t about gaming the algorithm; it’s about owning the narrative. And it works exceptionally well in an attention economy that rewards novelty and intentionality over volume.

“Her silence also shields her from criticism, creating a kind of algorithmic immunity, while still fuelling speculation, media attention, and fan loyalty.”

Revealing how regular users on Instagram could take some advice from Meghan, he added: “For everyday users and brands, there’s a lesson here: you don’t always need to be loud to be heard. Sometimes, the most powerful move is to pause, post with purpose, and let scarcity do the rest.”

On Tuesday, Meghan revealed how she had spent her birthday the previous day. The former working royal celebrated in style as she was seen pictured surrounded by family and friends at a restaurant.

Alongside a picture of herself blowing out candles on her cake, Meghan wrote: “Blowing out the candles on a beautiful 24 hours, and thanking my husband, friends and family for making it so special. To those of you I don’t know, but who send love every day – thank you so much. Please know I feel it and appreciate it”, followed by a red-heart emoji.