New Poll Shows Public Mood About the Monarchy After Andrew Scandal — And It’s Not Good News
The Royal Family has weathered many storms, but the ongoing Andrew-Epstein crisis might just be the toughest one yet. After the US Department of Justice released a tranche of 3 million files related to the disgraced financier, scrutiny has yet again turned towards the former prince and, by extension, on what the monarchy may or may not know about his contentious past ties. Against that backdrop, questions regarding whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have placed the entire institution at risk are also making the rounds on the internet, with a recent poll carried out by the anti-monarchy group Republic showing concerning results.
According to the recent survey, public support for the Crown has slipped from 48% to 45% since October 2025. The poll also asked 2,100 respondents about whether they would prefer the UK as a monarchy or with an elected head of state; and some shocking figures came to light. While about 32% favored an elected head of state, the rise in the 'don’t Knows' climbed from 20% to 24%. Talking about the results in an interview with HELLO! Republic CEO Graham Smith suggested that for seven decades, the late Queen Elizabeth II acted as the ultimate anchor. But with her passing, the protective net surrounding the Crown has been lifted. In his blunt assessment of the impact of the former Duke of York’s ongoing mess, Smith argued, “The trend across most polling is declining support, and this poll shows how low that support has gone.”
Pointing a finger not just at Mountbatten-Windsor but also at the monarchy, Smith suggested that the results also show growing suspicions that Charles and Prince William may have been aware of the former Prince’s controversial dealings and deliberately chose to hide the same for two decades. “The monarchy is not going to reverse this trend,” Smith remarked, also noting that the late Queen’s absence has left the institution in a vulnerable state. “The late Queen was the one person keeping this creaking institution going. Even her legacy is now being tainted by the Andrew scandal,” he said.
The latest firestorm follows allegations that the disgraced royal misused his former role as a UK trade envoy to share confidential information with Epstein—something that Smith’s Republic group had alerted the police about, triggering an investigation. Even royal expert Andrew Lownie had talked about this matter on his Lownie Report Substack, calling the latest allegations much more than just personal failings. He noted that the former Prince was happy to ‘betray’ his government and country by sharing sensitive information with the disgraced financier, asserting that his “greed alone was sufficient to lead him to compromise governmental and commercially sensitive documents without the need for blackmail.”
While Mountbatten-Windsor faces the heat from his temporary residence, Wood Farm Cottage, the mounting pressure of the scandal has also become immense for King Charles, backing him into an unprecedented corner. Despite his public statement of ‘profound concern,’ public opinion is drastically shifting each passing day.