Support 'falls' for Royal Family

More revelations followed the end of the Burrell trial

Support for the Royal Family has plummeted since the Paul Burrell trial and the scandal stories which followed, according to an opinion poll.

A survey by pollsters ICM found that only 43% of those questioned thought Britain would be worse off without the royals.

And with nearly one in three giving a "don't know" reply, analysts believe more people care little about the Royal Family.

A poll tracking public opinion of the royals has been taken regularly by ICM for The Guardian newspaper since 1987.

Peak

In May the number of people who thought the country would be better off without the royals stood at 59%, 16% more than this month.

Support for the royals was at its highest in the late 1980s - at more than 70% - but began to dip at the time of Princess Diana's death in August 1997.

It started to rise again this year, reaching a peak at the time of the Queen Mother's death in May and the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

But the fall-out from the Burrell trial appears to have taken its toll.

The case against the princess's former butler Paul Burrell collapsed at the start of the month, after the Queen gave crucial evidence in his defence.

Burrell subsequently gave a series of interviews to a tabloid newspaper and further revelations about Palace life emerged in the media.

Damage

The ICM survey, which asked the opinions of 1,000 people by telephone, found support for the Royals was at its lowest point since the poll first started in 1987.

Then, 77% of people thought Britain would be a better place without the Royal Family.

The only age group registering continued support for the monarchy is the over 65s.

By contrast, some 45% of those aged 18-24 thought the Royal Family could be scrapped.

Many voters believe the damage from the Paul Burrell affair will be short-lived, with only 22% thinking it will leave a lasting stain.

The survey was taken up between 15 and 17 November this year.