Favorite Royal Poll Results

Favorite Royal Poll Results

The poll results for our Favorite Royals poll are in and I’ve finally gotten around to writing them up. In not-at-all-shocking news, the Swedes and Crown Princess Victoria won by a mile.

Favorite Royal House

Swedish Royal Family new years portrait small
[kungahuset.se]

For favorite royal family, the Swedish royal family won with 39.31% of the vote, while the British royal family trailed in second place with 17.2% of the vote. The Dutch royal family came in third with 12.07% of the vote.

I said above that the poll results weren’t shocking, and they’re not, but I am a bit surprised that the Brits didn’t get more votes. They are the most well known royal family in the world (I’ll admit, there was a time when I didn’t know these other royal families even existed, but I did know the Brits), yet my mostly-not-Swedish readers love the Swedes more. Interesting.

Favorite Royal House

Favorite Adult Female Royal

Crown Princess Victoria Nobel Prize Ceremony 2

Putting this poll for favorite adult female royal together, my thought was “I wonder who will come second to Victoria”. I knew Victoria was going to win, so second place was what was interesting to me. I must admit, even with all the negativity that Kate gets, I thought she would rank higher than she has – seeing as this is a Kate Middleton-centric blog.

Crown Princess Victoria was the winner, natch, with 18.59% of the vote. Not super surprisingly, Queen Maxima (who got her own post yesterday) came in second with 9.56% of the vote.

Princess Madeleine came in third with 6.86% of the vote. That one I am surprised at – I love Maddie but she doesn’t do a whole lot and she has been criticized for it, so I’m pleasantly surprised she got as much love as she did.

Arguably the three most controversial royal ladies I cover got relatively similar results (and a tie). Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall came in 8th with 6.02% of the vote, and Kate Middleton and Princess Sofia tied for 9th with 5.97% of the vote.

I shouldn’t be surprised that Princess Charlene ranked as low as she did – 14th with 1.58% of the vote – since her posts don’t get that many views and comments. I am more surprised to see Queen Mathilde rank as low as she did – 21st with 0.37% of the vote.

Some write-ins getting love: Queen Rania of Jordan; Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco; Princess Angela of Liechtenstein; Sophie, Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein; Princess Caroline of Hanover; Charlotte Casiraghi; Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan; and Prince Harry (um…?).

Favorite Adult Female Royal

Favorite Adult Male Royal

Prince Harry helps little girl with shoe
[Governor-General of NZ @GovGeneralNZ]

Favorite adult male royal… Are we shocked that it’s Prince Harry? I’m not shocked that it’s Prince Harry, who won with 31.08% of the vote (and got his own post today). Second place and down is more shocking to me.

Prince Daniel came in second with 12.54% of the vote; and surprisingly King Willem-Alexander came in third with 7.89% of the vote.

Prince Charles to my utter amazement came in 5th with 6.13% of the vote – ahead of Prince Carl Philip (in 7th with 3.74% of the vote) and Prince William (in 14th with 2.61% of the vote).

I honestly wish I had done a just-British royals poll because I am absolutely shocked that Charles got more votes than William when every poll they do in Britain has Charles below William. I know my poll had very different demographics, but still. I’m shocked at that one.

Only two write-ins: Peter Phillips and King Jigme of Bhutan.

Favorite Adult Male Royal

Favorite Royal Child

Princess Estelle fall 4
[Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se]

As with the previous two poll results, favorite royal child is not shocking, it’s second place down which is more surprising.

Princess Estelle of course won with 23% of the vote. Princess Leonore (my favorite, there I said it) came in a distant second with 7.78% of the vote. Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands came in third with 7.63% of the vote.

Of the top ten, Prince George is the only male – he came in 8th with 6.98% of the vote. To my utter bewilderment (since we’ve seen her less and know way less about her), Princess Charlotte outranked George, coming in 6th with 7.07% of the vote.

Some write-ins: Princess Lalla Khadija of Morocco (daughter of Princess Lalla Salma); Japan’s Princess Kako and Princess Aiko; Prince Alfons of Liechtenstein (son of Princess Angela); and a “not appropriate to vote” (um… okay).

Favorite Royal Child

Favorite Monarch

Queen Elizabeth longest reigning monarch
[Mary McCartney]

Favorite monarch, again not shocking at all: Queen Elizabeth II with 46.94% of the vote. King Willem-Alexander came in second with 15.24%; and King Felipe came in third with 9.97%.

Favorite Monarch

Favorite Heir Apparent

Crown Princess Victoria jewelry

Favorite heir apparent: not shockingly Crown Princess Victoria got the majority of the vote at 52.92%.

Surprisingly, Prince Charles came in second with 13.75% of the vote. Charles isn’t super well liked, so I am surprised he’s ranked as high as he has in the two polls he was in.

Princess Catharina-Amalia is definitely feeling the love on here – she came in third with 12.05% of the vote.

Favorite Heir Apparent

Thank all of you who voted! This has not only been a fun poll, but it (along with page views and comments) is also helpful for me to know who you guys want more coverage of. Kate is still going to receive the most coverage here, since this is a Kate-themed blog, and of course coverage depends on availability of photos and event information, but I’ll try to accommodate.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are doing some sort of pre-tour reception later today, which I’ll cover tomorrow probably.


89 thoughts on “Favorite Royal Poll Results

  1. I had all the first!!! Vive Victoria and the Swedish Family. I love them.

    I knew William by name, but in the last two years I learned more about him and I didn’t appreciate him, and it’s not him that is going to change now.

    1. Hi Clem. I agree. I am about 10 yrs older than he is and my mother was obsessed with Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana so I sorta watched him grow up. It is disappointing to see how he has chosen to use his power and privilege and he won’t change.

  2. Nice to see Charles getting some well deserved credit. The Press may pedal the line he’s not well liked, but with the people it’s a different story. I adore Charles (and Camilla) and they’ll be an excellent King & Queen Consort when the time comes. He’s been the best Prince of Wales in history.

      1. I know you’re not a C&C fan, Birdy. I guess in a small way we represent the opposing views of many Brits. It’s a polarising topic, for sure.

    1. I spent a huge part of my life living in Duchy territory. Prince Charles is loved. William not so much.

      William had ‘diana love’ reflected onto him in the face of lack of information and visibility. It was also easier to believe Harry’s bad prince image because not alot was known about him too.

      His wedding was a coming out of sorts for William, Harry and Kate.

      Now that people have more information about all three, a different picture is emerging. Reinforced by their actions rather than PR.

      And i rarely believe in polls since those are set up with a narrow margin of criteria and people choose from a narrow range of criteria eg my favourite Queen is Rania, but she wasn’t an option in KMR’s poll survey. So i had to choose my next favourite Queen, Maxima.

      Ditto, if you asked me who was the most stylish royal, i’d go with Sheikha Mozah, but again, she wasn’t included in the poll survey, so i had to choose from the ladies offerred.

      I’m not saying KMR should include every royal on the planet or that her survey was wrong. It had a narrow set of criteria which produced results according to that set. It doesn’t reflect the entire picture though. Extrapolating that thought to potential reasons William is always top of Polls in the UK.

      The fact that people are flocking to Charles’s engagements again, and barely to William, even when media has announced them should demonstrate how wrong those polls are.

      Those routine ‘let’s skip Charles and crown William’ comments/articles haven’t been seen in years.

      Showing William and Kate, whether by design or not, has made Charles and Camilla more popular because people compare them, and see the difference.

      1. Not only did those articles have not been written in a while, people now are turning to Harry – how unfortunate is that he’s not the first born and how they wanted him for king.
        However there is a very important distinction among those comments, the first was the press making, I never saw anyone say how UK should skip Charles, other than comments and articles instigated by the press, before those I never saw anywhere William should be the next heir. Fun fact: the press used to do the same thing with Charles and Diana in the beginning of their marriage [how HM would step down and let Charles and Diana rule.]
        But Harry’s comments about being better suited for king are not being put out there by the press, their coming from the audience which to me is a crucial difference.

      2. Hi Herazeus, I don’t mean to pry, you can answer if you choose to, but I can’t help wondering where you come from, since you seem to know so much about non European royals.
        I think KMR’s poll was European-centric and focused on royals she covers here, that’s why we didn’t get other royals, e.g. of Middle East. Plus, most of us – me included- just begun to get to know the European ones (through KMR) so we’re really far from having any opinion for the rest RFs in other continents.
        Having said that, I appreciate your perspective.

        1. Re the poll being Euro-centric because that’s what I’ve covered here: basically. I included others that I haven’t covered just to get everyone, or nearly everyone, from all the houses I’ve covered, but I started making my list just with the people I’ve covered. For example, I didn’t include the Greeks at all because I don’t cover them – also because they aren’t really royal since they were ousted in the 70s.

        2. Elina, i’m English, but i grew up all over the world. Big chunk in Africa.

          I’m interested in royal families because i think they influence society in many ways, superficially and profoundly. Even today, and in countries that you wouldn’t expect them to have much truck for Royalty.

          It’s fascinating to me.

          Non European royals are especially fascinating to me because they tend to be absolute rulers and i wonder how they navigate that without heir subjects revolting. And usually all the really juicy scandals are to be found with non European rulers.

          1. Herazeus, I see your point. The reason you mention you’re fascinated about non European royals, is the exact reason I actually disdain them. I’m not in favour of absolute monarchy and I wouldn’t be so casual watching them, knowing the faults of the regime. I understand that monarchy has evolved and worked well for some countries while for others it has or still contributes to non free establishments. Unfortunately my country belongs to the last category as our royal family was rightfully abolished for playing an extremely negative role in our modern history. I’m happy and relieved that there is no acting Greek royal family and I loath the disgraced ex King who strangely enough still calls himself and his family as royal.
            That being said, I acknowledge the power of influence and the impact that a modern royal family can have as part of the ‘advanced’ world, and that is basically a reason I follow lovely KMR! Sorry for the rambling. 🙂

      3. Polls – especially internet polls of people who read an royal-themed blog – are not the be all end all. But given how much criticism Charles still gets, and from people here, I think it’s interesting to me that he ranked as high as he did. Does that reflect anything in the grand scheme of things, no not at all. But it’s still a “Huh, that happened and I wasn’t expecting it” moment from me.

        PS. The reason I didn’t include more royals is because there are just too many to include all of them – that’s why I gave the write-in option. The only reason I even included the Japanese in the “royal house” one is because someone asked for them to be included when Elina initially suggested this type of poll.

        1. I agree KMR there are no Greek royals. I love what you do, love the Swedes and Max and Charlene. Just not very impressed with my own royals . I think the queen is great but I would prefer her to abdicate. I would like her to enjoy her last years with Philip. The main reason I don’t want Charles to be King is because he is too old already. I like the Dutch system of abdicating at the right time.
          You have a huge following here KMR and we love this blog.

        2. KMR: i completely understood your point. please don’t see my original comment as criticism.

          I was responding to a thought you wrote in the blog post wondering why William scores so highly in polls in the UK, yet here, on a royalty- centric blog he barely rates, if at all.

          My examples were to illustrate a point about how polls are stacked to give an outcome, and reported in a way that makes it seem that the criteria wasn’t narrowed to give that outcome. That is to say, i don’t believe William is genuinely beloved, and my conclusion is based upon numbers at his engagements and the combined disdain of media and internet commentors alike.

          I can accept HM’s polling numbers because those are backed up by real life affection, as well as media and internet comments. Crowds show up for her.

  3. I voted for Charlene! I don’t know why, I know absolutely zilch about her but I love to see pictures of her. For me she is stunning, not beautiful but there is something undefined about her that the camera adores, pictures of her seem to glow with her presence. Dare I say she reminds me of Diana in that sense? Anyway, Charlene for me equals “wow” and that’s why she got my vote, alongside all the Swedes! Thanks KMR for this, it was fun!

    1. I think Charlene is amazing, too. She is a natural as a mom. Just adores her kids and seems so much happier with her life now that they are in it.

      I also think she has a nice way of relating to other children.

      Albert and Charlene are most generous with allowing the public to see and love their children. Just as the Swedish Royals are.

      Despite the fact that Charlene is so glam, I find her approachable, too. I think it would be fun to have tea with her and talk about our kids. She could relate, I am sure!!!

  4. Why should you be surprised? You run an anti Kate review. It is not a review. It is a constant criticism. I can only imagine what you would have said if she had not had children. There is a spite fullness and an under lying dislike . Her clothes, expressions, conduct, choices etc are always viewed negatively. Why?

    1. I will not apologize for disliking, and expressing my dislike, of Kate’s clothes. Clothing is subjective and all based on personal taste. My personal taste differs from Kate’s and I dislike a lot of her clothing choices. I will not apologize for that.

      The reason I am so negative toward Kate right now is because I disagree with her choices. There is nothing wrong with expressing my disagreement. I almost always do so in an articulate way and never resort to stupid, emotional arguments for expressing my disagreement. I’m not a “Jell h8er”.

      If Kate acted differently, did more engagements, and didn’t have more excuses than appearances, I would have no reason to be negative toward her. Though if she wore the same clothes, I would absolutely still be negative toward her clothing choices since I just don’t like them.

      1. Well said Katemiddletonreview! this blog is never ever offensive, always well written and with interesting insights about the other royal families. Then, after that post about Harry…. woooowwwww 🙂 !!! Thank you!
        I expected Kate to be higher, I mean I didn’ t expect her to be on top 3 ( I’ m conscious she’ s not so loved at all) but 9th position it is very low since it is a ( critical) blog about herself. I mean I’ m pretty sure that the readers of this blog aren’ t only the ones disliking Kate, but also the ones who like her ( if you like a VIP, actor, singer and so on you read as much as possible about him/her).
        Furthermore Kate is very known, instead many of the royals of the polls aren’ t so famous: I ignore who the princess of Luxembourgh is and many more. The not so known ones won’ t get so high, because only a few will vote for them, instead Kate since is always in the spotlight, would be much more likely to be high, higher than what she actually resulted. I think Kate isn’ t so loved because of her lack of work ethic and laziness

    2. Barbara you are so completely wrong it is outrageous. KMR offers honest and balanced views of the BRF and Europeans . If you don’t like her views that is your right , but this is fundamentally not an anti Kate site. It is a site that expects all and any royals who are tax payer funded to earn their money. KMR pulls up commenters for criticising Kate whilst not doing the same for others who do the same. Read the back history . I am frankly disgusted by your hurtful comments to a blogger for who, I have huge respect.

      1. Agreed Lauri. Let’s just laugh at them. Kate worshipers take the criticism so personally that it is funny! So,

        AHAHAHAHAHHAHA 🙂

    3. Barbara with all due respect, don’t tell me that people should be fawning over someone who only takes and takes millions of dollars in “salary”, and other extra perks of the job and gives little to nothing back, except lies and excuses for not working. I’m sure if anyone had to work with a person like that or had to tolerate a person like that due to their unearned position and privilege, I think they would be widely disliked and reviled too.

    4. Barbara, if you have thoroughly read the articles here, and elsewhere, criticizing Kate’s choices and behaviour, you would know why.

      It can be explained to you, but not understood for you. Sorry! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  5. Kmr,you can clearly see the difference between number of comments and discussions kate will’s posts receives vs the other posts of riyal.. I have not so far seen a post on swedish family that crossed 100 comments no matter how much they are liked by the visitors over here..

    It might be that people love to criticize more than praise someone.

    1. I think it is that we have more varied opinions on Kate, whereas we all agree we love the Swedes so we don’t get so much back and forth.

      1. Yes we all agree that Victoria and Daniel make a marvelous job, introduce their children to their lives without traumatizing them. So at the end we don’t have much to criticize.

      2. Yep. It’s an echo chamber of one positive thought where the Swedish Royals are concerned.

        Doesn’t make for lots of comments, but we all seem to love them.

        1. I actually find myself lately doing the opposite. I skip some BRF’s posts and concentrate on the other ones, even if I don’t comment. Reading the first comments of recent W&K posts honestly left me exasperated. Maybe it’s just me or I need the fun and the fresh air more than others!

      3. I think it’s a little bit of both. It’s easier to have more to say when discussing the negative. But there is also more back and forth when discussing the negative than when discussing the positive – where the majority of the back and forth is “I totally agree with you”.

  6. The results are not surprising, the result that surprised me the most was favourite heir apparent. Some people have not forgiven Charles for his sins of the past but I think he has tried really hard to atone for his actions & win back the public. I wonder if British public opinion would match the poll. It wouldn’t have 20 years ago.

    1. At least Charles cares about public opinion. With Will and Kate it is always *different day; same message*.

      1. I wonder if its calculated? W&K don’t want to work now or have a movement to remove PC, so they are lazy by choice thinking when QE passes, they’ll step it up. They’ve seen that PC rehabilitated his image, so are indifferent for now. I wonder if the British public would forgive them ten years from now if they suddenly decide to start pulling some weight. Or would it be too late? I can’t see the public ending support for the monarchy however much it’s kicked around.

        1. The difference with Charles, I think, is that he’s never wavered in his duty to his position. People disliked him for his personal life. People dislike W&K for their complete disdain for their roles/jobs. Where people like me can overlook Charles’ personal drama to still respect his work ethic, people can’t do that with W&K since they have no work ethic.

          1. I completely agree. I disliked PC’s handling of his personal life but I have always appreciated his genuine contributions to the country. An interesting reflection is that Diana loved and looked up to him too. She only turned negative when it was clear he would never give up Camilla and Diana didn’t want to share (can’t blame her–the role isn’t enough for someone who isn’t a title hunter). I’m just curious what will happen to these two because I think they’re banking on ten more years of “privacy” and the resulting leisure before they “have to” really put their hands to the pump. I’m wondering what our British friends on here think. In 8-10 years or so if they suddenly stepped up, would the past be forgotten? PC has always worked, but he was POW at a young age, so William (I think) will use that as an excuse since he’s just DOC. Personally, I think the public won’t want to skip PG, so we’re stuck with Kate forever.

          2. I agree, KMR. I would be happy if W and K woken up and took their roles, their place in history, and their platform seriously. If that were to happen, though, I am not sure that i would truly trust their sincerity. As you and others noted elsewhere, I believe past mistakes for the most part belong in the past. Their mistakes and lack of work ethic, however, have made a deep impression that will be hard to let go of.

  7. I have come to love Victoria and the SRF. They have that royal presentation nailed, but they come off as a family unit as well and I really like that. So the results don’t surprise me at all seeing as they were all how I voted. I can honestly say that my interest in this family was piqued by this blog.

    I do wish in some cases we had more boxes to tick as some were very close in the running for me.

    I think a BRF poll would be fun and interesting. I will say now that I believe HM, PC and Harry will rule that poll with Harry being the number one in whatever category he’s listed in.

    I would like to point out something in the photo of the SRF. Is it just me or does it seem odd that Sofia seems to be putting some distance between herself and CP but at the same time leaning in to be part of the picture. It’s like she’s singling herself out or not wanting to get too close to him, it’s just odd and with the bright color she’s wearing she just pops right out at you. Or maybe that was her intention as the other ladies are all wearing a cream color.

    1. Yes, Sofia did pop out in the photo I’m not sure why the other women were wearing such bland choices in their clothing . Reminded me a bit of the all-white look of the Midd women on Charlotte’s christening. THey were wearing white, weren’t they? It suddenly seems so long ago.

      What I absolutely loved in the photo was how Chris took hold of baby Leonore’s hand in the photo. Just lovely!

      The Swedish Royals are wonderful and I was not surprised by their placement in this poll. I am afraid I would have known little about them if not for KMR. Thanks so much for the focus you bring on so many other great Royal Families.

      Cheers to Maxima, too! And a long overdue thanks to KMR for replying to a post I made on a previous thread weeks ago. Sorry, I was having a troublesome day when I was negative on that thread.

      1. This is an older photo of Sofia, but if you look at her, time and again she tends to “pop out” with her choice of color, clothing style and placement in pictures. Someone above mentioned that the SRF doesn’t get as many comments because we all love them and there isn’t much criticism. As an alternative view to that comment, I would say that when some of us have criticized particular members of the SRF (specifically Sofia and CP), we have been met with a lot of opposition so we (aka I) have just quit expressing my dislike of Sofia, CP and CG. I love Vic and think Madde has truly turned herself around, but I also believe that all is not love in that family and the two sisters likely only “put up” with Sofia rather than welcome her as one of their own.

        1. Oh Cathy 2 carry on giving your opinions. I’m unpopular here because I hate loathe and detest both Charles and Camilla, but I keep putting my point of view calmly and consistently. I like Sophia, but we all like to be challenged on our opinions, and here I feel no remorse for disagreeing with the popular opinion. I understand something of Sophia’s past, but do you think she is doing a bad job now?

          1. I think she’s doing much better than expected but she is still getting a pass with the press. My opinion continues to be that Sofia is in this for Sofia. She’s like Kate and Carol combined.
            I don’t care about Sofia’s ink (my Swedish grandmothers might have issue). I can almost forgive her “modeling” and TV appearances (my Swedish grandmothers are likely rolling in their grave). I have a big problem with her making fun of someone who is differently abled.
            I’m not quite as bad about her as the people over on RD but they certainly make some very valid points. Love Lola (who posts here frequently) has some wonderful background on Sofia and the SRF that I wish all would read. I’m not sure that everyone here knows all of the history of not just Sofia, but also CG. It’s an interesting read and makes you question the future of the Swedish monarchy. If not for Vic…

          2. Birdy, you are not unpopular with me. As a matter of fact, I tend to think we agree on many points. I hope this doesn’t sound creepy, but you seem like the kind of person I would invite over for coffee and a chat.

          3. Birdy, you’re not unpopular. And you’ll be surprised to know that a lot of us do not favour C&C. I honesty can’t get past of the history of these two and how many people they did hurt and also the excessive media spinning in order for the public to accept Camilla. Having said that, I acknowledge Camilla’s work and I suspect Charles becomes mellower getting older but still it doesn’t mean I particularly like them but at least I try to be fair in relation with what I see.

          4. I think everyone would agree CG is a pretty… um… yucky human being.

            Just looking at him gives me the heebie jeebies.

        2. Expressing one’s dislike for a person in an articulate, logical way is one thing, expressing one’s dislike for a person by calling them disgusting names is another.

          Sofia was getting called disgusting names. That’s why there was “opposition” from me.

          I have no problem with expressing one’s dislike of someone as long as it doesn’t break down to calling them disgusting names.

          And for the record, I have a problem with “Chopper” and “Chutney” and other names Kate and William get called here, and have tried to express that, but at least those names wouldn’t be bleeped on network TV.

          PS. I also have a problem with the names Kate gets called over on Lola’s blog. And I’ve already read Lola’s piece on Sofia and Carl Gustaf.

          Personally, I can forgive people’s pasts because I do genuinely think people can change, and do all the time (I sure as hell have), and judging someone based on 10 year old past actions is wrong. I would be pissed if I were judged solely on my actions and opinions from 10 years ago. I care about what people do now.

          I criticize and am negative toward Kate because of her current actions, not her past actions (and almost never talk about her past unless someone else has brought it up). I’m fine with Sofia because since her marriage she’s been doing alright as a royal (for the Swedes; I’m not expecting hundreds of engagements out of her since CG doesn’t even do 300 a year). Until she starts being a lazy, excuse-laden royal or has a Mel Gibson moment, I’m fine with her. If that’s an unpopular opinion, so be it.

          BTW, I’ve never, ever defended CG. I think he’s terrible.

          1. KMR, thank you for clearing this up. It’s been troubled me here lately. I really don’t like people calling names at anyone.

          2. KMR
            I don’t even know how to respond to that post. It makes it appear as if I called Sofia some horrific name that can never be repeated which was certainly not the case. I called her something extremely mean spirited after a conversation progressed (or regressed) and I was frustrated. I agreed at the time that it was rude (but hardly vulgar as you imply).

            Thank you to Birdy who encouraged a sharing of all opinions, but at this time I think I will simply sit down and shut up. It’s quite clear that any discussion in the comments section that is not critical of William and Kate or a part of an ongoing discussion about personal lives of long time posters is unwelcome. I had hoped I could contribute something since I’m an obsessive follower of the SRF. Obviously, I was mistaken.

            Thanks for an interesting read.

          3. Cathy 2. I think KMR is referring to other commenters on other sites. It has been mentioned before but I’ve never seen the actual posts. If KMR had a real issue with something you had written on here she would delete your comment and email you I think. Correct me if I’m wrong KMR but I think Cathy 2 has misunderstood you.

          4. Cathy, I think that KMR refer to some people giving the nickname “Princess Prozac” to Kate. I critizice Kate but I think that this nickname is too much.

          5. Cathy 2,

            You may not read this but I’m going to write it anyway because I want to make it clear why I feel the way I do about the phrase you used. And I’m going to be completely open and honest about it.

            The first time I read the phrase that was used – “meth-mouthed whore” – to describe Sofia was on Lola’s blog. And when I read it, it made me very uncomfortable. So I asked myself why. And the reason is two fold:

            1) It’s an ad hominem attack on a physical feature. It’s not just pointing out that her teeth are crooked, small, and she shows a lot of gum when she smiles, it’s actively making fun of her for a feature that she didn’t choose. Sure, she chose to keep that feature instead of bowing to the ideal beauty standards set forth by our society but why is that so offensive that she deserves to be made fun of for it in such a hostile way?

            2) It’s calling her names for daring to be sexual and use her sexuality. And it’s using a sexist term to… advocate for feminism? I asked Lola about why she was so negative about Sofia’s modeling and she said it was because it promotes the porn industry and negative standards for women. Lola gave a really thoughtful comment and I told her that her message would come across so much better without the snark and mean-spirited names.

            Because I had such a negative reaction to that phrase when I initially read it, I ended up defending Sofia because I do think the way people talk about her is not okay.

            I also stopped using such language to refer to women – I already had stopped using such language but this really reinforced it – to the point that I stopped using the word “famewhore”, too.

            To me, that is a horrific, vulgar phrase which I don’t think should be repeated. The only reason I repeated it above to was to make it clear which phrase I was talking about.

            I curse like a sailor, but I don’t use that type of language to describe women.

            When I read that phrase on here, was so upset. Because it is mean, it is rude, and yes it is vulgar.

            Over the last year, the nicknames people have for the royals they don’t like have made me more and more uncomfortable and it all started with this phrase.

            ETA: To follow up on Birdy and Clem’s comments, yes most (almost all) of the nicknames and phrases I staunchly object to are ones I read on other sites. “Princess Prozac” – that one was so outright offensive to me as someone who has suffered from depression and been on and off Prozac for almost 20 years. Especially on the heels of the conversation about mental health that was brought about by Kate’s appearances earlier this year. I realize that not every site has the same conversations we do here, but still. That one, it’s as offensive if not more so than the one used to describe Sofia, because it’s even more personal for me.

            I hope you can understand where I’m coming from with this.

            Have a good day.

        3. I’m another one here who dislikes Sofia to the point of I would call her… well, gross or disgusting. Not just what she has done, but the things she has said, make my skin crawl. I do not condone the names people call her, though, which KMR has covered in a comment already. Just like I don’t like the nicknames for W&K. It’s just…immature, or borderline offensive or IS offensive.

          I love Vic and Madde, though.

  8. Thank you so much for this poll KMR, it is was so much fun. I admit that I did not know much about the SRF until I started reading about them on this site, but they seem so down to earth and they love having the little ones around and they don’t care if they actually act like kids.

  9. I think maybe part of the reason why Charles is getting more love recently is because people used to say they wanted the throne to skip to William. But now that the public sees how work shy Will and Kate are they are coming to the realization that would be disastrous. I have noticed more comments (on other articles, forums and blogs, not just this one) that acknowledge Charles’ work ethic. I am a Diana fan, but Charles works and is prepared to be King. Much more so than William who believes that he can continue to fly helicopters when he is Prince of Wales. We will see how well that works out (eye roll). I think Charles has the potential to be a good king as long as he keeps his political opinions to himself. That’s the one issue I see.

    P.S. I’m still hoping for a King Henry 9th.

    1. Ah, that does make sense, Cookie. I hadn’t thought of it that way before.

      Thanks for doing the poll, KMR, it was fun!

    2. Charles is, more and more, seeming like the lesser of two evils. That may be why people are coming around to him.

      1. Charles right now is the lesser of two evils. He works hard. You cannot deny him that. Was he the best husband to Diana? No not at all. Unfortunately, he will be brow beaten for that the rest of his life. Diana, though was no saint either.

        William on the other hand is just William. The heir to the heir apparent. I wish he would step up. This is the role he has been trained and groomed for his entire life. Yet he just doesn’t care it seems. Yet Harry who was the spare has seemed to find his way. And come into his own. He is the best side of both his parents. I wish he was the heir to Charles and not William. He gets it: Duty over Self. His grandmother is the embodiment of this belief.

  10. The surprise result for me was Princess Catharina Amalia – i know absolutely nothing about her, except that she is one of three very pretty little girls. Perhaps now we will learn a little more about her. I love the two little Spanish princesses.

    1. Same here, Birdy. I know nothing of Catharina-Amalia, but then again, I knew nothing of her mother either before I came to this blog.
      The two Spanish princesses are gorgeous but I can’t really tell them apart. They could have been twins for all I know.
      My absolute favourite, and I admit this comes from KMR herself, is Leonore. She takes cuteness to a whole different level. So much that I’m afraid she’ll grow and lose her pouty wee face. I’d better enjoy her while I can! (hopefully KMR will contribute to that). My second choice is of course Estelle. So basically, between these two, I’m all covered for cuteness. Although I’m expecting their baby brothers will soon claim a place in our hearts. 🙂

      1. Ha ha I dread little Leonore growing up, fearing it will take some of her enchantment. She is most certainly the cutest!

  11. The results are in! And, let’s hear it for the Swedish Royals!!!! I hope that someone in their circle is aware of this blog and how very popular they are! There is something so lovely and warm about them and Victoria continues to amaze me. I loved that photo of her in the stunning red gown when I first saw it and looking again, well, WOW. Also, the headshot of her when you point out that she won Favorite Heir Apparent was beautiful! So glad that she and Maxima are appreciated for their dedication to their roles, their lovely demeanors and loving ways, and their sense of style. Good for them!

    Did I understand correctly that Charlotte edged out George? You are right, KMR, we know so little about her. That is amazing. I love the Monaco twins very much and of course, the adorable and real Swedish children.

    Harry? Harry!!!! YES! Soon, our own Rhiannon will be part of these polls.

    Kate did not fare well and I did not think, she would. Charles definitely deserves to finish in front of lazy Will. People are becoming more and more disgusted by him, that’s for sure.

    A great poll and fun results. Sincere thanks!

    Oh, and I almost forgot to add: Let’s hear it for Harry, everyone’s own Prince Charming. THe photo of the little girl with the missing shoe and Harry kneeling in front of her is so telling. He is definitely “CHARMING.” It may not have been the glass slipper, but little girl, if the shoe fits….”

    1. Yes, Charlotte got more votes than George. Which is one of the biggest shockers to me about the poll results. We know almost nothing about her. I will admit I have much more of a connection to George than Charlotte – even though I have barely any connection to him. So that one threw me for a loop.

      1. And I fifth that comment too!
        KMR – I look forward to reading your posts and the comments too.
        And I agree with Lauri, it is like talking to an old friend, a friend who makes you think!

  12. I have to say I wasn’t too surprised by these poll results, however since this is a Kate-centric site I was wondering if in the end she might score higher but she didn’t.

    It seems to me that most of us voted for the royals we perceive as hard working, warm, caring and on the superficial side, wears great or at least interesting clothes.

    I really didn’t know much about the Swedish, Dutch, Spanish or Scandinavian royals until KMR started covering them and I am soooo glad she did 🙂 No shade to QEII but it’s wonderful to see royal women taking an active role in their causes, making speeches that they either wrote themselves or had a hand in drafting and generally doing a bit more that unveiling plaques or reading speeches written for them. Again no shade to QEII but I’ve only really starting watching her in the last 10 years or so, she might have been much more active and participating when she was younger I just don’t know.

    It would be interesting if any of the KP staff know of this blog and read some of the comments, if I were in their shoes I’d want to know how my bosses are perceived and what changes need to be made.

    1. I was thinking there might be some silent Kate fans who would vote for Kate and propel her higher in the ranking, but that didn’t happen.

  13. I promise that I didn’t throw the polls. I only voted once for my beloved Harry.

    I love these polls. It’s great to see everyone’s opinions on each royal. In addition, we all have things that we can agree with or disagree with.

    Thank you, KMR, for opening up your blog to the other royal houses. Your attention to detail (menus, flowers, history) is appreciated. You’ve also created a wonderfully supportive community.

    1. He he, Rhiannon, I admit I didn’t only vote once for Leonore, and you only voted once for your Harry? Somehow I find it a little difficult to believe 🙂
      I know, I know, Harry doesn’t really need anyone to throw the polls. He is the people’s prince.
      I’m just saying it was fun to vote in this poll. Here’s to KMR and all the fans here who make this blog exceptional! Well done, KMR!

  14. Yay, the Swedes won. Not surprised at all. They are an attractive, lovingly tight and dedicated royal family. I hope they know they are quite appreciated in our internet corner.

    I’m also glad Prince Charles did better than William. I grew up disliking Charles for his affair and while I’m still not a fan I can recognize his work and dedication to his role and dislike William’s workshy-ways even more. He may not have been a good husband but his life’s work should not be ignored and easily discarded.

  15. Well we disagree on C & C , Sophia ( I’m a fan) and other things but we all agree that KMR does an amazing job and we all in bigger or smaller ways find this blog something we come back to. Huge thanks as always KMR.

    We also all agree I think that Rhiannon needs to get her act together pdq Harry needs her.

    1. I do!

      Someone asked me if I would still be attracted to Harry if he weren’t a prince and I would still say yes. Here’s a man who believes in service. He’s kindhearted and people respond to him. When I look, I mean ogle, pics of him, I also look at how people are with him. Are they rigid or relaxed? Everyone seems to delight in him. He also looks like a bit of a cheeky imp, which I love.

      Being a prince would just be the sprinkles on my already baked and slightly imperfect cake.

  16. Can’t wait to see the Bhutanese royals on the tour. I love their Queen and her fabulous outfits. Love the total adoration for their new baby too …strange to us in the west that he still doesn’t have a name. I wonder what they call the little prince?

  17. I love the Swedish family, they’re the definition of a 21st Century monarchy. Even though I like the BRF, sometimes I wish they would take some cues from the swedes in how to modernize themselves. One thing I’ve been noticing this past year is how many nice family photos are released from the SRF, both of the individual families and of them all together, and then how few have come from the BRF. I hope we get some from the Queen’s 90th birthday photo shoot.

    On another note, KMR do you think you’re going to do another one of the quarterly reviews of Kate’s engagement numbers? I really liked those last year and it really helped show how much work she’s actually doing. That’s of course if you have time, since you’ve been doing so much work giving us tons of great articles this whole year.

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