Over half of Britons want Prince William to be King of England instead of Prince Charles

More than half of Britons want Prince William to be the next King of England instead of Prince Charles. According to a recent poll, 54 per cent want the accession to skip a generation when the Queen passes away, with Prince William taking the throne in place of his father.

Even more women favour the 34-year-old to become the next monarch, with 60 per cent of women backing William, compared with 47 per cent of men.

The poll by Opinium research found that a mere 25 per cent could see the Prince of Wales, who will succeed the Queen, as the future king.

The question of whether the British monarchy should continue was also considered, but with two-thirds of people polled wanting to preserve the institution, the Queen and her successor have nothing to worry about.

Opiniuim's James Crouch told Mail Online: "As we saw last year, the majority of us show an unwavering loyalty towards the monarchy. Perhaps it is unsurprising in light of the recent political instability that the nation remains wedded to its most enduring institution.

"There might be serious debate around the monarchy's place in future years, and the solid two thirds opposed to a republic is not guaranteed to last forever. As it stands, however, Her Majesty and her family can comfortably expect to reign over us for many years to come."

The poll also revealed that two-thirds (66 per cent) believe the monarchy benefits the UK economy and nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) think that Britain is perceived more positively abroad because of the institution.

The younger royals have been taking a more prominent role in recent years assuming more official duties. In 2011, the newly-wed Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge visited Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu on the Queen's behalf while Prince Harry went to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas as part of the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations.

Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry have been championing mental health awareness campaigns and more recently sent messages of support and congratulations to Team GB at the Rio Olympics.

The younger members of the royal family are widely thought to have popular appeal as a result of their more informal, laidback approach to public duties.