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Although King Charles is the top dog in royal family hierarchy, behind closed doors, he doesn’t rank as high as another royal who takes the lead in popularity but ironically left his role behind for a new life in America.

How does Prince Harry rank ahead of King Charles in royal popularity?

Although no one ranks higher than King Charles in the royal hierarchy, one royal is infinitely more popular than the king as reflected in a new poll. That’s his son, Prince Harry.

Historically, Charles doesn’t command the same popularity as his mother, Queen Elizabeth. He falls way behind the number one person in a YouGov ranking: Harry. According to all adults polled, Prince Harry comes ahead of Prince William, Prince Andrew, the late Queen Elizabeth, and Charles, who ranks fifth.

YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group. It measures and calculates data to develop what it claims is a cohesive picture of the world’s thinking.

Prince Harry is no longer a senior royal

In March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their roles as senior royals. The couple initially requested a part-time role supporting the queen, who vetoed the idea.

Therefore, the couple made a clean break from the family. They moved to California with their son Archie and subsequently welcomed a daughter, Lilibet.

Since then, Prince Harry has only returned to England a handful of times. During these appearances, Harry was treated with the respect of a royal but couldn’t partake in events as a senior royal.

Harry subsequently wrote a tell-all book about his life as a royal family member, Spare, which did extraordinarily well sales-wise. However, releasing royal family secrets further strained his relationships with his father, Charles, and brother William, and other senior royals.

Kate Middleton, who the Wimbledon chair is 'hopeful' will attend the tennis tournament, claps wearing a green blazer.
Kate Middleton | Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images
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Behind King Charles are other royals who are the most popular members of the House of Windsor. These include Prince Edward, Kate Middleton, Camilla Parker Bowles, and Meghan Markle.

Princess Anne ranks 11th, followed by Princess Eugenie, her sister Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindell, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. The rankings are based on how fame is defined by the percentage of people who have heard of royalty.

This non-scientific poll places three royals who no longer work for the crowd within its rankings. Along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew no longer performs duties for the crown.

King Charles leads the royal family. He has two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and five grandchildren: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet.