53% say Queen should abdicate

More than half of the population disagree with the Queen's decision to continue as head of the country and believe she should abdicate in favour of her son, according to an opinion poll today.

One day after the Queen announced that she would remain monarch after her Golden Jubilee, a poll reveals that 53 per cent of the nation think Prince Charles would be too old to be King if her reign continued until her death.

About 28 of those questioned believe the Queen should remain in her position for a "few more years", while one in four say she should go now. But if the Queen does rule until she dies, about twothirds of Britons believe the crown should be passed directly to Prince William. While the findings of the report may be disheartening for the Queen, they show that the monarchy itself remains a popular institution.

Only 12 per cent advocate the abolition of the monarchy. A further 43 per cent believe the monarchy should remain as it is, while more than one in three think it should be scaled down to only the Queen, Charles and William.

The Queen had also done the most to boost the popularityof Britain, according to the poll, conducted by the Daily Mirror and GMTV.

With 27 per cent of the votes, the Queen beat Tony Blair, JK Rowling, Sir Richard Branson and even David Beckham as the person who has done the most for the country's reputation over the past five years.

The poll also reveals most have accepted Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Less than one in four believe the couple should part. A further 39 per cent say they should marry, while 34 per cent believe they should stay as they are.