Although they signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, to sever all ties to Britain – including the monarchy – celebrity-obsessed Americans cannot get enough of the Royal Family.
Through fairytale weddings, messy divorces and devastating deaths, US royal watchers have been invested in it all.
Around 23million Americans tuned in to watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on July 29, 1981. And 16 years later, on September 6, 1997, 33.2million of them solemnly sat in front of their television sets to watch Diana’s funeral.
Explaining why many Americans are obsessive royal fans, entertainment journalist Eric Carlson compared reading ‘supercharged celebrity news’ to watching reality TV.
‘It makes a reality show out of William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan and Charles and Camilla,’ Carlson told Associated Press. ‘And we become glued to our phone screens for the next morsel of gossip.’
A new YouGov poll has now asked more than 1,000 Americans for their opinions on members of the Royal Family, both living and dead.
Here, MailOnline breaks down what they had to say. Hover over the numbers to reveal which member of the Royal Family is viewed most favourably across the pond – and who fails to meet the mark.
The results may surprise you.
Battle of the brothers: A new YouGov poll reveals which royal brother America prefers
It seems the majority of Americans have chosen to side with Princess Diana. More than three-quarters of those polled held a favourable view of the late Princess of Wales, who tragically died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Before she married Charles in 1981, ‘very few people in the US paid attention to the royals or could tell you the name of the queen of England’, historian Alicia Carroll wrote in the New York Times. ‘Diana changed all that.
‘Here in the US, our celebrities – entertainers, actors, athletes, musicians, even politicians – leave much to be desired.
‘Meanwhile, millions of people go to England every year for one reason: they want to see Buckingham Palace.
‘By contrast, millions come to the US every year, but it’s not to see the White House. They come to see Mickey Mouse.’
The majority of Americans (67 per cent) also have favourable opinions of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years.
Upon her ascension to the throne and her grand coronation at Westminster Abbey, US outlet Time Magazine crowned her as their Woman of the Year in 1953.
Americans admired Elizabeth as she ‘played a significant role in enhancing the US-UK relationship’ by meeting all 14 sitting presidents during her reign – apart from Lyndon B Johnson, according to The Spectator.
Princess Diana addresses the Council of Fashion Designers of America Ball in New York in 1995
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip meeting First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and US President John F Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in 1961
The Queen walks with US President Richard Nixon in Buckinghamshire in 1970
Queen Elizabeth waves from the balcony of the White House alongside President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford in 1976
President Ronald Reagan roars with laughter at a joke delivered by a straight-faced Queen Elizabeth in San Francisco in 1983
The Queen welcomes President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama to Buckingham Palace in 2009
Her trips to America included four state visits and five state dinners. During a speech in 1983, US President Ronald Reagan was seen roaring with laughter as the Queen made a straight-faced comment about the lousy California weather.
‘I knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the United States. But I had not realised before that weather was one of them,’ she said.
When it comes to America’s view of the Royal Family, Princess Diana’s legacy continues to shine through her sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
Of the living royals, the brothers make up the top two with the highest favourability scores in America, and overall they place just behind their late mother and grandmother.
But it is Prince William who emerges triumphant in the battle of the brothers, with a 58 per cent approval rating versus Harry’s 53 per cent.
The Prince of Wales made such a splash with Donald Trump when the pair met at the official reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in December last year that the American President is expected to invite William and Catherine to the White House, the Mail on Sunday recently revealed.
A source said: ‘President Trump very much enjoyed meeting Prince William in France.
‘He was wowed by William and thinks he’s a great guy. He will officially invite both the Prince and Princess of Wales to visit Washington, but understands if the Princess of Wales’ health issues prevent her from coming.’
Prince William greets American royal fans during a visit to New York in September 2023
The Prince of Wales meeting with Donald Trump at the official reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in December 2024
Prince Harry accepts the Pat Tillman award for his work with the Invictus Games at the ESPY Awards in July 2024 in California
A petition demanding ESPN to think again received 76,000 signatures. It claimed Harry had been ‘involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honour of this magnitude’
Despite moving to America with his young family in 2020, Prince Harry is viewed favourably by five per cent less of the American population (53 per cent) than his older brother William (58 per cent) who resides in the UK.
Around 53 per cent of Americans say their opinion of Prince Harry and Meghan has not changed since the couple moved to the US in June 2020, 14 per cent say they now have a better opinion of the pair and 18 per cent now have a worse opinion of them.
In July 2024, Harry came under immense heat from America as he accepted the Pat Tillman award, which is usually given to unsung veterans.
The mother of the US war hero Mary Tillman told the Mail that she was ‘shocked’ the award would go to ‘such a controversial and divisive figure’, adding: ‘There are recipients that are far more fitting.
‘These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has,’ she said.
A petition demanding TV network ESPN to think again received 76,000 signatures. It claimed Harry had been ‘involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honour of this magnitude’.
William’s wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the next most positively viewed royal at 52 per cent.
2024 was a difficult year for the princess who announced in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, receives flowers from a boy dressed as a King’s Guard during a visit to Boston, Massachusetts, in December 2022
The Princess of Wales poses for a photo with a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts, in December 2022
The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoy a game of basketball in downtown Boston in November 2022
Prince William attends an American football event in London in October 2024
What followed was a nine-month battle as she underwent ‘preventative chemotherapy’.
In January 2025, Catherine revealed she is in remission from cancer. In a message posted on social media she spoke of her ‘relief’ and said she remains ‘focused on recovery’.
‘As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead,’ the princess wrote on X/Twitter.
Catherine is followed closely in the YouGov poll by Princess Anne (47 per cent).
Despite sustaining a minor head injury and concussion last year, Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth, was crowned the hardest working royal of 2024.
Throughout the year, the 74-year-old racked up 217 engagements and her commitment to the crown is likely seen from as far away as America.
Coming in 7th place is Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
The actress was born and raised in Los Angeles so it is surprising to see that only 46 per cent of her fellow Americans view the former Suits actress positively.
Princess Anne walks to the State banquet with Jared Kushner during Donald Trump’s State visit to the UK
Around 47 per cent of Americans hold a favourable view of Princess Anne
American actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry at a lavish ceremony in St George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018
Around 29 million Americans watched a live broadcast of the royal wedding in 2018
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sit down for an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March 2021
The former Suits actress demonstrates how to curtsey during the Harry and Meghan Netflix documentary
Since stepping down as working royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan have faced growing criticism for their high-profile media appearances, including their Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and the Duke’s memoir Spare.
These ventures sent shockwaves through the monarchy, alienating both British and American royal fans.
In a heartfelt letter addressing Harry and Meghan allegations of racism within the Royal Family, the Queen famously wrote that ‘recollections may vary’ but that the Sussexes ‘will always be much loved family members’.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward hypothesised that Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the US is taking a hit as people’s alliances lie with the late Queen.
‘I give a lot of talks to Americans,’ Seward told The Standard. ‘They all dislike Harry and Meghan. They hate that they let the Queen down.’
Even US President Donald Trump has lambasted the Duke of Sussex since he left Britain in 2020, criticising him for the ‘unforgiveable betrayal’ of his grandmother Elizabeth II and warning that he would get no special privileges in America.
‘She [the late Queen] was unbelievable,’ Trump said. ‘And I thought she was treated very disrespectfully by them [Harry and Meghan].
‘She, I would say, although she wouldn’t show it because she was strong and smart, but I would imagine they broke her heart.’
The Queen greets Donald Trump at Buckingham Palace in 2019
The American president and businessman inspects the Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle in July 2018
The Queen leads President Donald Trump to a State banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019
Mr Trump is well known for his love of the monarchy – having recently accepted an ‘unprecedented’ invitation from King Charles for a second state Visit.
The president previously boasted that he had ‘automatic chemistry’ with the late Queen, and hailed Charles as a ‘really wonderful guy’.
But it seems the rest of America are not as keen on King Charles as he holds a favourability rating of 42 per cent, compared to Meghan’s 46 per cent.
When asked how his ‘record as Britain’s monarch will go down in history’, 38 per cent of US citizens said his reign would be ‘average’, while one in seven thought it would be ‘below average’.
The King’s youngest brother Prince Edward is viewed favourably by 37 per cent of Americans.
The Duke of Edinburgh was also the royal with the highest percentage of Americans (46 per cent) admitting to not knowing enough about him to say if their view of him was positive or negative.
Queen Camilla comes second to last with just 30 per cent of Americans thinking of her favourably.
Given how highly Americans view Princess Diana, it is unsurprising that Camilla’s favourability ratings are so low as she was portrayed as ‘the other woman’ in Diana’s marriage to Charles for years.
King Charles III is presented with an American football from Super Bowl LIX, which took place between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, during a visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 12, 2025
Camilla and Charles, who were the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the time, stand with President Donald Trump and his wife Melanie at the residence of the US Ambassador in London
Around 37 per cent of Americans actively hold a ‘very or somewhat unfavourable’ view of the Queen Consort Camilla (left) compared to 36 per cent who hold a negative view of Prince Andrew (right)
Shockingly, however, 37 per cent of Americans actively hold a ‘very or somewhat unfavourable’ view of Queen Camilla compared to 36 per cent who hold a negative view of Prince Andrew – who was connected to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
During the Epstein scandal, more than half of Americans believed that the Duke should be extradited to America to answer questions about his alleged relationship with Virginia Giuffre. Instead he settled out of court in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount – thought to be around $16million.
Overall, 22 per cent of Americans consider the Royal Family to be ‘mostly good role models’, 11 per cent think they are ‘mostly bad role models’ and 48 per cent think they are an ‘even mix of both good role models and bad’.
