Most Canadians don’t want to recognize King Charles as head of state: Poll

A majority of Canadians do not support King Charles as head of state and are not in favor of Camilla as queen, according to a new survey released Monday.

Canada is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and as such the king or queen of Britain is automatically head of state for Canada, although the position is titular.

King Charles assumes that post, replacing his late mother Queen Elizabeth II after his May 6 coronation. But he does not have the backing of Canadians for the post, and they do not want his picture on the country's currency or to sing "God Save the King" at official ceremonies.

According to a poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, 60% of respondents do not want to recognize Charles as Canada's King, and only 28% view Charles in a positive light.

Support for Queen Camilla was even dimmer. Originally, she was to be called Queen Consort, a title endorsed by Queen Elizabeth before she died on Sept. 8 of last year.

A royal historian told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that the title Queen could have been misunderstood if bestowed on Camilla during the period of mourning for Elizabeth.

"During the period of mourning, there was potential for confusion if the [title] Queen was used to refer to both the late Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Camilla," Toronto-based Carolyn Harris told the CBC. "With the coronation, there is only one King and Queen, Charles III and Queen Camilla."

Respondents to the poll indicated Camilla is not popular. Two-thirds felt she should not be recognized as Queen of Canada. Only 21% backed her having the title, while 19% said she should be Queen Consort.

In fact, a majority said they do not care about the coronation at all.

The ruling British monarch has been Canada's head of state since Canada officially become an independent nation from England in 1867. Over the years, support for the monarchy has gradually eroded. The new poll showed that 52% do not want to continue with the constitutional monarchy.

The poll was an online survey conducted April 10-12 with 2,013 Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It carries a margin of error of 1-to-2%, 19 times out of 20.