Surge in bookings for overseas holidays over the Coronation weekend. | ANDY RAIN

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King Charles’ approval rating has dipped since he took the throne but nearly half of Britons still think he is doing a good job, according to a poll released a week before his coronation, while his daughter-in-law Kate is the most liked royal and many Britons are making the most of the extra Bank Holiday to had overseas with Mallorca being one of the most popular destinations along with Tenerife, Florida and Canada.
Flight bookings have surged over the bank holiday weekend.

According to data from online travel agent Opodo 34 per cent of those booking travel over the three May bank holiday weekends are doing so over the Coronation weekend, 5-8 May. Thirty-four percent are leaving the UK on May 8 and 27 per cent on May 26.

Tourism is expected to boom in London as people flock to watch King Charles III crowned on May 6, but some people appear to instead be planning a Balearic escape or exploring further afield in Canada with the extra time off work.

The Ipsos poll released today found 49% of the public believed Charles, who will be formally crowned on May 6, was doing a good job versus 9% thinking otherwise.
Almost a third had no view either way.

The approval level is down from 61% last September after he succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth.
“With less than two weeks until the coronation, King Charles may be happy to know that half of Britons think he is already doing a good job, numbers recent prime ministers would envy,“ said Kelly Beaver, chief executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland.

“It’s a good start for Britain’s new King and something he will no doubt want to continue to work on once the coronation quiches are eaten and the bunting is down.”

A separate Ipsos survey also found 57% were satisfied with how Charles was doing his job, down 8 percentage points from when a similar poll was carried out in May last year.

When it came to which royal the public liked best, Kate, the Princess of Wales, came out on top ahead of her husband and heir to the throne Prince William, “any of the king’s grandchildren”, and Charles’s sister Princess Anne.

Among the least favourite members were Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and the king’s second wife Camilla, now the Queen Consort, the pollster said.