A recent poll published on King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 64th birthday Friday shows a decreased support for the monarchy in Sweden. According to the Novus Opinions poll, conducted for the Swedish Republican Association, while 58 percent of Swedes still want a monarch as head of state, 28 percent would rather have a president. That percentage has doubled over the past decade.
AP Photo/Jonas Ekstromer
“People are just getting fed up with the monarchy,” Mona Abou-Jeib Broshammar, who leads the Republican Association, told AFP.
“If the development continues in the same direction as over the past decade, I think that in Sweden there will be a majority for abolishing the monarchy by 2024.”
According to Broshammar, it is the people’s tax money being used towards Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding this June that has ruffled feathers in Sweden.
“A lot has been written about how the king has asked the taxpayers to cover his daughter’s wedding expenses … A lot has been written about (the royal family’s) VIP treatment, and people are sick of it,” she said.
Previous polls have shown nearly three-fourths of the Swedish people support the royal family. It should be noted that the Republican Association was the one who conducted this poll.
Wednesday April 21st marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 84th birthday, and for her big day, she got quite a present!
AP Photo/Ben Stansall, Pool/FILE
In New Zealand, the MPs through out a referendum that was meant to abolish the monarchy. It was voted down 68 to 53 in its first read. Disgruntled republicans are pointing the finger at the Queen’s grandson, Prince William because his visit to the country likely boosted interest in the royal family.
“We think that’s down to a visit by a certain Prince William in January,” said Lewis Holden, chairman of the nation’s Republican Movement. “That’s why Buckingham Palace sent him out here.”
A poll showed that support for a republic went from 47 percent in 2008 to 37 percent just after William’s visit. At the same time, 51 percent of Kiwis wanted to keep the monarchy.
When broken down by gender, more women then men want to keep the Queen as their head of state.
Despite this defeat, many New Zealanders feel someday they will become a republic. Some say it might happen when Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, becomes King.
“The question many New Zealanders ask is: why should we have a head of state on the other side of the world who is not a citizen of our country?” said Green MP Keith Locke.
“The present Queen has been competent in the performance of her duties and she turns 84 this very day. I wish her a happy birthday.”
At a recent press conference, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark said she was no intentions of abdicating the throne for her son, Crown Press Frederik. This despite that she will be turning 70 this coming Friday. But that seems to be OK with the Danish people – a new poll showed half of them want her remain as their monarch.
AP Photo/Tariq Mikkel Khan/Polfoto
The poll also said one third of Danes believe Margrethe should step aside for Frederik. Another 17 percent say they are undecided.
The popular Queen, who has been reigning since 1972, said during the news conference at Fredensborg Palace that she does see any reason to slow down.
“I will stay as long as I have the energy,” she said. “As long as I have strength, I will not throttle down. There are so many things that are interesting and important to do. I welcome the duties I have.”
As for turning 70, Queen Margrethe said that “turning 70 was a special round birthday” and could be compared to an exclamation mark.
When asked how long does she think she would live, the Queen replied it would be “hard to imagine that I will be 100.”
She also discussed her health, in a tongue in cheek sort of way. “I am a smoker and that is no secret.”
Queen Margrethe also added she could see the Danish monarchy continuing with Frederik and his son, Prince Christian.
A recent poll done by Synovate MMI for the Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, says most of Norway sees its future Queen in a better light than when she first married into the royal family nine years ago.
Nigel Waldron/Getty Images/FILE
58 percent think Crown Princess Mette-Marit is a good or very good role model for young people. 52 percent say they admire her to some degree.
Furthermore, 67 percent of Norwegians say they want to keep their monarchy.
But at the same time, only one in three believe the royal family’s status in the country improved when Crown Prince Haakon married Mette-Marit in the summer of 2001. The same percentage say it made no difference.
This poll shows how dramatically Norwegians have come to accept Mette-Marit as Crown Princess. When she married Haakon, there were many who doubted the monarchy would last due to her past. Mette-Marit was once part of Oslo’s drug scene and she had a son born out of wedlock from a previous relationship.
“The past is long since elapsed, and the Crown Princess is becoming more and more conventional,” said political scientist and former assistant manager at the Royal Palace, Carl-Erik Grimstad, about the new survey.
“By avoiding major scandals, she became more automatic part of the national public ownership over time,” he added, pointing out Mette-Marit’s popularity has little to do with the work that she does.
A recent poll show nearly two-thirds of Swedes want King Carl XVI Gustaf to stay on the throne, even though he is fast approaching the retirement age of 65. A majority say the King should remain as monarch until his death.
Support for King Carl is higher among men then women and those who are center-right of politics. Leftist voters are more likely to want to see the King to abdicate in favor of his daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, next year.
Furthermore, more urbanites support the monarch to remain so than those who live in more smaller towns.
Overall, 74 percent of the Swedish people like their monarchy, while only 19 percent would like to see it abolished.
Those figures differ within Parliament, however. Many of the members there are vocal about having Sweden be a republic.
On Monday, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in eastern Canada to begin their 10 day visit there. This is Prince Charles’ 15th visit to the Great White North, and Camilla’s first, despite having ancestral ties to the country.
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz
The couple landed at St. John’s, Newfoundland and were greeted by Governor-General Michaelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Native drum dancers, a children’s choir and a military band were part of the welcoming ceremony.
In a speech, Charles said this trip is quite special to him.
“But more special still, if I may say so, is the opportunity to introduce my wife to Canada for her first ever visit,” he said.
The Duchess of Cornwall is descended from a prime minister, Sir Alan MacNab, and the builder of Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, Ontario. She and her husband are expected to tour that castle later in their trip.
“We are both eagerly looking forward to discovering those family roots and of seeing her forbears’ home in a few day’s time,” Prince Charles said.
But while these two are excited about seeing Canada, Canada might not be too thrilled seeing them. Poll after poll show between one-half and nearly two-thirds of Canadians want to abolish the monarchy, even though many do agree it is part of the country’s heritage. According to the Edmonton Journal, this may because “the royal family has been more a source of entertainment than an institution inspiring awe or respect among Canadians.”
Interestingly enough, one poll claims nearly 60 percent of Canadians think Prince Charles should be King. Whether they will allow him to be their King, only time will tell.
A recent report of Norway’s politicians shows the future of the country’s monarchy may not be so good.
kongehuset.no
According to NRK, 4 in 10 Parliament members want the monarchy demolished and republic put in its place. A third of the politicians say they would introduce the idea of having a president instead of a king in about 20 years.
Eva Midttun Leira of the NRK explained the reasons for this movement. “We have a generational change in the Parliament. There are many young people, and we wondered if it has done nothing with the perception of the royal house. SV [Socialist Party], which traditionally is Republican, came in with fewer agents, but despite that, the number of Republicans in the Parliament have gone up, it’s interesting, “says Leira.
An NRK poll found that only 56% want to keep the royal family, while 43% do not.
Leira pointed out that it is perhaps Princess Martha-Louise’s recent oddities, such as opening an angel school in 2008, that has deteriorated interest in the country’s royalty.
Concern over the future of the Norwegian monarchy came eight years ago when Crown Prince Haakon married Mette-Marit, who had a son from a previous relationship and was part of Oslo’s drug party scene. Support for the royal family took a dive, and wasn’t until the birth of Princess Ingrid-Alexandra in 2004 that support for the monarchy rose.
Now, it is a wonder if the little princess would ever make it to throne.
A recent poll found that most Belgians do not find their royal family in a positive light.
Reuters
In a survey, conducted by Vers l’Avenir, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg, asked 1,000 people what they thought about the monarchy. Only 27 percent see approve of it. When asked to describe the monarchy, Belgians used such words as old (51 percent), privileged (70 percent), boring (46 percent) and distant (42 percent).
The study was compared to how those in the Netherlands feel about their monarchy. The Dutch people say the look to their royal family for wisdom (53 percent), reliability (63 percent), class (65 percent ), and leadership (46 percent). The survey also found that 54 percent of the people in Holland felt a kinship with their monarchy.
In addition, the Belgians who were questioned were asked who was their favorite royal. 53 percent said King Albert II. He was followed by Crown Princess Mathilde (47 percent) and Queen Paola (40 percent). Crown Prince Philippe, the heir to the throne, received only a 30 percent approval rating.
In comparison to the Netherlands, the Dutch most favorite royal is Crown Princess Maxima, with three in four claiming to like her.
It’s been a week of ups and downs for the House of Glucksburg in Denmark. Sunday saw many Danes vote for gender equality succession rights, though a large number didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Tuesday and Wednesday saw big celebrations as Queen Margrethe’s husband, Prince Henrik turned 75 years-old.
Now the latest poll numbers show a drop in approval ratings for the Danish royal family – especially for the men in the family.
The ones who saw the biggest increase in disapproval were Henrik and his second son, Prince Joachim. Compared to a poll down five years ago, the Prince Consort is down 12 percent, from 41.8 percent to 29.8. Nearly 31 percent thought the Queen’s husband was doing poorly in his royal role.
Prince Joachim’s popularity fell from 84.6 percent to a dismal 44.6 percent since 2004. This may have to do with him divorcing his popular wife, Alexandra in 2005. Even Joachim’s new wife, Princess Marie, is not fairing well with the Danish people. Only 13 months as a princess, she has a 37% disapproval rating.
Crown Prince Frederik remains popular, but not as much as five years earlier. He is down from 90.7 percent to 80.4 percent.
Frederik’s wife, on the other hand, appears to be the most popular member of the Danish royal family. Crown Princess Mary is enjoying a 82.2 percent approval rating. That’s slightly higher than her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe, who’s popularity is at 81.3 percent.
Friday, May 22nd marks five years since Felipe, Prince of Asturias married former news anchorwoman Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.
It was the first wedding of a crown prince or king in Spain in nearly century. It was also historic since the bride was a divorced commoner.
But none of the seems to matter anymore, according to recent polls where Spaniards were asked what they thought of their King and the heirs to the Spanish throne.
El Mundo newspaper claims 60 per cent of the people want King Juan Carlos to reign until he dies.
81 per cent of Spaniards believe Crown Prince Felipe is ready to take over as King, while 82 per cent believe his wife, Letizia, is living up to her expectations as Crown Princess. However, only a little more than half believe she is ready to become Queen.
The polls come after recent events have led to some questions about the Spanish monarchy’s future.
Last year, Catalan separatists burned images of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.
The King and Queen were also booed and whistled at a recent football game by separatists.
At the same time, various separatist groups – such as Basque, Galician, and Catalan – set up a website where the regions of Spain were shown as being individual countries.
The Spanish government considers such incidents as isolated, and insist that the monarchy is one of Spain’s strongest institutions.
The Spanish monarchy was restored in 1975 following the death of General Francisco Franco, who had made Spain a fascist state.
succession rights, though a large number didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Tuesday and Wednesday saw big celebrations as Queen Margrethe’s husband, Prince Henrik turned 75 years-old.
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