Half want Canada to end its constitutional monarchy; most believe royal family ‘not relevant’
March 9, 2026 – The fallout of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has taken the former prince’s royal titles and his royal abode but not yet pulled him out of queue for the crown.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has joined a growing chorus of voices to support that next step after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest last month; a large swath of Carney’s country is behind him, according to new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute. More than four-in-five (84%) Canadians support removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession, including three-quarters (73%) who strongly do so. Agreement is found across all demographics that it’s time to formalize the former prince’s exit from royalty.
The strong support to block Mountbatten-Windsor from ever reaching the throne comes in contrast to general indifference from Canadians towards the royal family. Half (51%) describe the Windsors as not relevant to themselves personally, a further one-quarter believe they’re becoming less relevant over time.
There continues to be more Canadians who would prefer the end of Canada’s constitutional monarchy (47%) than would see it continue for generations to come (29%). And Canadians lean towards opposing recognizing King Charles as head of state (48%) than support (42%) all that involves, including putting him on currency and swearing an oath to him.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
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More than four-in-five say Andrew should be cut out of succession
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Fewer than one-quarter believe royal family relevant to them
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The declining support for constitutional monarchy over time
More than four-in-five say Andrew should be cut out of succession
As Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal issues fester, the push to further sever him from the royal family has grown. Already the former prince has been stripped of his royal titles and kicked out of his royal estate for the allegations of his involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing. After his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February, the UK government is considering removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession, as he remains eighth in line for the throne.
Doing so requires not only an act of UK parliament, but also the support of the 14 commonwealth countries including Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Mountbatten-Windsor should be removed from the royal line, falling in line with the Australian and New Zealand governments who have said they would support the former prince’s official removal.
Canadians are overwhelmingly in support of removing Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. More than four-in-five (84%) say they support it, including three-quarters who strongly do so:
Fewer than one-quarter believe royal family relevant to them
Although there is a strong public opinion on whether or not Mountbatten-Windsor should be in line for the throne, there is more apathy than engagement on the royal family generally. Half (51%) of Canadians say the royal family is irrelevant to them personally, while a further 26 per cent say they are becoming less relevant over time. One-in-five believe the royals are as relevant as ever:
The declining support for constitutional monarchy over time
Canada’s support for continuing as a constitutional monarch has steadily declined over time, especially in the wake of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Now more Canadians believe it’s time for an end to the constitutional monarchy (47%) than believe it should continue for generations to come (29%). Previous ARI research also showed interest from monarchy opponents in opening the pandora’s box of the constitution to separate the country from the royal family.
| METHODOLOGY:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Feb. 24-26 2026, among a randomized sample of 1,607 Canadian adults. Respondents are drawn from the Angus Reid Forum, a large-scale online panel developed to include Canadian residents in each of the 343 federal ridings in Canada and representative of the Canadian population by age, gender, family income, ethnic status and education. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. |
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For PDF of full release, click here.
For the questionnaire, click here.
Image – Lars Hagberg/Prime Minister’s Office
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Senior Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org