Despite the apathy, more say monarch’s speech is a ‘good thing’ (37%) than ‘bad’ (23%)
May 26, 2025 – While Prime Minister Mark Carney’s now-accepted invitation to King Charles to read the throne speech opening Canada’s 45th parliament may have been politically intended to leave U.S. President Donald Trump gobsmacked, Canadians themselves are raising little more than an arched eyebrow at the visit.
A new public opinion poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows a whopping 83 per cent of Canadians say they are “indifferent” or “don’t care” about the monarch’s historic visit, where Charles will read the throne speech – which will outline the Carney government’s priorities for the upcoming parliamentary session.
Disinterest, however, may represent a “good news” story for the monarchy. While Charles is, constitutionally, the King of Canada, Canadians are more than three times as likely to view him as solely a British monarch. Through that lens, a meagre increase in the number of Canadians who say Canada should continue as a monarchy for “generations to come” over the number who said the same two years ago (27 per cent versus 30 per cent) may be viewed by monarchists as a “win”. Additionally, unfavourable views of the king have dropped five points since 2023, though this opinion still outpaces favourability (29% favourable, 43% unfavourable).
Further, despite the apathy, the number of Canadians who view Charles’ delivery of the throne speech as a “good thing” (37%) outweighs those who say it’s a bad thing (23%).
That said, a “status quo” or “no worse” reading belies stark readings on the future of the monarchy in Canada. In no region do more than a maximum of 37 per cent support its long-term survival. In Quebec, that percentage sits at just 14 per cent. Among young Canadian women, the number drops to just one-in-four (26 per cent).
INDEX
Part One: The Reserved
- Views of Charles statistically unchanged
- Canadians more likely to see throne speech by King as “good thing” or “aren’t sure”
- Future of Monarchy? Opinions marginally improve
- King, country, Carney, and the Trump factor
Part Two: The Daunting
- Despite being Canada’s head of state, Charles broadly viewed as King of Britain
- More Canadians say royals represent “outdated” than modern values
- Nearly half don’t see a long-term future for monarchy in Canada
Part Three: The Indifference
- Vast majority are “meh” about the monarch’s visit
Part One: The Reserved
This week’s official visit to Canada by King Charles III represents a mixture of realpolitik, the unprecedented and the ordinary. It is Charles’ 20th visit to Canada, but his first as monarch. The occasion also marks the first time in 47 years that the sovereign has read a Canadian speech from the throne.
As to the motivations of the invitation to His Majesty, political symbolism appears to trump (pun intended) domestic desire (more on that later). Prime Minister Mark Carney has leaned heavily into invoking U.S. President Donald Trump’s infatuation with the British (and Canadian) royal family.
After all, Trump, following a state visit to the U.K. in the 2019, gushed of his relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II, “I have such a great relationship, and we were laughing and having fun.” He also appears to look fondly upon on heir to the throne, William, Prince of Wales, boasting of their “great talk” after meeting in Paris late last year and at the time, telling the New York Post the prince was a “good looking guy” who looked “very handsome”.
Carney has played to Trump’s royal passions, reminding the president and former real estate developer at their Oval Office meeting May 6 that some places, such as Buckingham Palace, are “never” for sale.
Charles’ opening of parliament therefore, is a key reminder to an otherwise unpredictable admirer that the king is not only sovereign and head of state of Great Britain but also of Canada, a nation Trump repeatedly expresses he wishes would become America’s 51st state
Domestically however, Canadians are less enchanted by the pomp, circumstance and mysticism of the crown and its accoutrements. Views of individual royals, along with the monarchy, have been steadily declining over time in this country.
Related:
- Canadians support growing monarchy abolition movement, would pursue after Elizabeth II dies
- King and Country? Three-in-five want to chuck Charles as Canadians cool towards new monarch
Views of Charles statistically unchanged
For those London courtiers who may be wringing their hands about republicanism, no news may very well be good news. The latest data from ARI shows no significant change in views of favourability towards the King and former Prince of Wales, though unfavourability has dropped considerably since April 2022.
Canadians more likely to see throne speech by King as “good thing” or “aren’t sure”
Further, more Canadians say it’s a “good thing” (37%) rather than a “bad thing” (23%) that the king is opening parliament. It should be noted however, that a plurality (40%) say they “aren’t sure” quite what to make of the whole endeavour:
Future of Monarchy? Opinions marginally improve
The number of Canadians who believe this country should continue as a constitutional monarchy for generations to come has increased ever so slightly, by three percentage points compared to data collected in 2023. This is a minor improvement but a result that monarchists will gladly take.
King, country, Carney, and the Trump factor
No group of past voters offers glowing praise of Charles, but Liberal voters have consistently had a more positive view of him than past Conservative, NDP and, certainly, Bloc Quebecois voters. However, the gap between Liberals and others has increased – mostly due to a lower appraisal of the King of Canada by Conservatives:
Opinions also correlate along political lines when it comes to the long-term future of the monarchy. The appetite for future generations of Canadians to live under a constitutional monarchy had declined steadily among Trudeau-voting Liberals, rebounding slightly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Post Charles’ coronation, Canadians of all political stripes were ambivalent about the idea. Under Carney, Liberal support for the Canada’s system of constitutional monarchy has rebounded. Carney made a point of emphasizing Canada’s English ties in both his first speech as prime minister, and his first foreign trip in March, which saw him meet Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Part Two: The Daunting
Despite being Canada’s head of state, Charles broadly viewed as King of Britain
To the extent to which royalists may take comfort in the above data, there is no denying the trends exposed by topline data garnered by the Angus Reid Institute. Plainly, despite Charles constitutionally being king of Canada, he is far more likely seen to be as a foreign monarch:
More Canadians say royals represent “outdated” than modern values
Regardless of provenance, a plurality in Canada continue to see the Windsors as representing a bygone era. While 44 per cent say the royal family represents “outdated” values, just four per cent view the royals as harbingers of modernity:
Nearly half don’t see a long-term future for monarchy in Canada
And while monarchists may debate how many royal enthusiasts dance on the heads of pins, the data reality is stark. While having improved a few points over the last two years, full throated support for a long-term continuation of Canada as a constitutional monarchy remains a minority view:
Part Three: The Indifference
It’s rare that four-in-five Canadians agree on anything. But they are largely united in their ambivalence towards the king’s visit to Canada to open parliament. Canadian indifference is perhaps acknowledged by the royal itinerary – Charles and Queen Camilla will only be in the country for two days. Queen Elizabeth II visited the country 22 times, many lasted more than a week and touched multiple parts of the country.
Quebec is the only region in the country where one finds more Canadians believing Charles’ visit is a “bad thing” than a good one. Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet and his caucus have decided to boycott the throne speech, calling the move to invite a “foreign” King to open parliament “disrespectful to a lot of Quebecers”.
Vast majority are “meh” about the monarch’s visit
Apathy appears to rule even among those who see positives in Charles’ visit. A majority of those who describe the fact the King is delivering the throne speech as a “good thing” also describe themselves as indifferent to the proceedings:
METHODOLOGY
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from May 20-23, 2025, among a randomized sample of 1,685 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. 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. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For PDF of full release, click here.
For questionnaire, click here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org
