EXCLUSIVE: King Charles Hits Record Approval 'As Cancer Battle Boosts Support'
King Charles reached record approval as his cancer battle boosted public support.
Aug. 8 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
King Charles has hit his highest approval rating since his coronation, with public support rising as his reign enters its fourth year and his cancer treatment continues to shape perceptions of duty and resilience.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the 77-year-old monarch, who acceded to the throne in September 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, was judged by 68 percent of Britons to be doing a good job, according to a YouGov poll published in the weeks before the anniversary of his accession.
Public Support Grows
King Charles achieved a sixty eight percent public approval rating.
Just 16 percent said he was doing badly.
The findings also follow a year in which Charles, 77, completed a state visit to Washington, met Donald Trump, 80, in the US capital, received Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, and saw the couple's children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, for the first time in more than four years.
A royal source exclusively told us: "The King has benefited from looking visible, disciplined and unflustered at a time when the monarchy needed steadiness. People can see the work, from diplomacy to the finances, and that matters."
The source added: "His illness has also brought a note of sympathy without removing the sense that he is still carrying out the job, with his cancer battle basically boosting support from him across Britain and the Commonwealth. For many people, that combination has made him seem more human and more determined."
King's Leadership Praised
A YouGov survey recorded rising public support for King Charles.
Biographer Robert Jobson said about the cancer-battling monarch: "The King has done a solid job this year so far, particularly in dealing with the US State Visit."
Another royal commentator said: "Charles has managed to project continuity at a difficult moment, and that has clearly helped his standing."
Charles' improved polling sits against a broader reign that has sought to modernize royal finances while preserving the institution's core mystique.
In June, he became the first monarch to disclose his tax bill, paying $17.4million.
The disclosure was presented by Buckingham Palace as part of a push for transparency and helped put hard numbers on an office that is usually cloaked in ritual and silence.
Modern Monarchy Takes Shape
Prince William maintained strong public popularity alongside Catherine.
The King's accession followed by a record 70-plus years of Elizabeth II on the throne, leaving Charles to inherit a monarchy which was respected but under pressure to justify itself.
His early reign was marked by accession ceremonies, a carefully managed coronation in Westminster Abbey, family tensions and a public role that has increasingly mixed constitutional duty with soft power diplomacy.
His recent state visit to Washington underlined that approach, with Charles using ceremony to reinforce Britain's place in the transatlantic relationship.
The same poll found Prince William, 44, and his wife Catherine, also 44, remain the most popular senior royals.
Charles Narrows The Gap
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The King projected stability and discipline during his cancer treatment.
But Charles has narrowed the gap with a quiet run of moments which have played well publicly – from his financial disclosure to the meeting with his US-based grandchildren.
A palace aide said: "There has been a sense that he is getting on with it, and people respond to that. It is not dramatic, but it is consistent, and consistency counts."
Another source said: "Charles' reign has been defined by transition, but also by discipline. The public is seeing a king who is less interested in spectacle than in doing the constitutional work, and that is shaping the mood around him."
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace in 1948, became king in 2022 after Elizabeth II died, and now leads the charge for a "modernization" of the monarchy.
