A growing number of young people are now in favour of an elected head of state rather than a monarchy, according to a new poll.
Some 41% of 18-24-year-olds would prefer to ditch a king or queen in the future for a representative voted in by the people, according to YouGov.
The research showed that support for an elected head of state has swollen among young adults over the past two years.
It has overtaken the number of 18-24 years old backing the monarchy ( 31%) for the first time since YouGov has been asking the question.
Those who said they would opt for an elected head of state has grown from 26% in 2019, to 37% in 2020, and then to 41% in 2021 - a total jump of 15%.
The royal family has faced troubled times in recent years, with the Duke of York quitting royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.
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Followed by the the fallout from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Megxit departure in 2020 and their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview this year.
The Queen, who has reigned for 69 years, is preparing to mark her Platinum Jubilee next year.
But support for the monarchy among young adults appears to have soured.
However, the country overall still backs the Queen and her heirs with three in five people (61%) supporting the monarchy.
Older age groups remain consistently in favour of a having a monarchy, with 70% of 50 to 64-year-olds still backing the institution – compared to 71% in 2019.
The same can be said for those aged 65 and above with 81% backing the monarchy – while in 2019 the figure was 82%.
Opinions among people aged 25 to 49 have only shifted slightly, with just over half (53%) now in favour of retaining a sovereign as head of state – down from 58%.
YouGov surveyed 4,870 GB adults in 2019, 3,127 GB adults in 2020, and 4,997 GB adults in 2021.
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