After Meghan Markle’s infamous interview with Oprah, the Royal Family has been thrown back into the global spotlight. Millions tuned in to see Markle alongside her husband Prince Harry discuss their reasons for leaving the throne in their first joint television interview since 2017. Arguably the most shocking moment from the CBS event was when Markle stated, “[there were] conversations about how dark [the baby’s] skin might be.” After the interview was released, the internet exploded into speculation, wondering which royal family member initiated these conversations. More so, questions arose about the future of the royal family. Already having a poor reputation, considering their numerous controversies from the past dozen years, and with Queen Elizabeth ll nearing her late 90s, many believe that the monarchy’s popularity is drawing to a close.

The queen has been ruling England for 69 years thus far, the longest duration of any British monarch yet. According to a study by Statista on the most popular UK royals from 2020, the queen stands on top with 83% of British adults liking her the most out of all of the monarchs. Her expected successor, Prince Charles, has only wooed 59% of British adults. Not to mention, the future king is already 72, whereas Queen Elizabeth ll took to the throne at 27. Many believe that with a soon-to-be change of leadership, there should be a modernization of the monarchy overall, but this would be unachievable with Prince Charles. Traditional values within the family have caused them to become problematic, especially concerning their silence throughout the Black Lives Matter movement and refusal to acknowledge the monarchy’s past role in supporting the slave trade. 

Britain’s younger generation has shown more disinterest toward the Royal Family than any other generation yet. Only 42% of British youth from 18-24 support the monarchy compared to 84% of 65+ adults. With the lack of modernism, disinterest from youth, along with lower approval ratings for the future king, the monarchy could very well disappear within the next 50 years. Unless the British royals turn over a new (more modern) leaf, one of the most popular monarchies in existence may turn into history.