Prince Charles voted favourite to become king

British people would prefer to see Prince Charles become their king before Prince William.

A new poll has shown the heir to the throne is now the preferred choice to succeed his mother Queen Elizabeth - in contrast to previous results which showed people would prefer William to take on the role instead of his father.

Of those who took part in the YouGov poll for Prospect magazine, 45 per cent would like to see Charles crowned, with 37 per cent saying they thought William a more suitable choice.

This is in contrast to figures released in 2005, where the young prince received the majority vote with 41 per cent.

Back then almost one in five people wanted to see the monarchy abolished but now the royal family seems to be back in favour in light of William's upcoming wedding to Kate Middleton.

It is also thought less people voted for William to be king this year because they want him to enjoy married life for a while before taking on the responsibility.

Peter Kellner, president of YouGov, explained: "Perhaps the feeling now, in light of William's upcoming wedding, is that he should enjoy some years of as-normal-as-possible life with Kate before he ascends to the throne.

"It is said that some of Elizabeth II's happiest days were spent in the late 1940s as the wife of a young naval officer in Malta, before she became queen.

He added: "Wedding fever has also sapped the radicalism of some republicans."