A minority of Britons, only 43 percent, think their country would be worse off without a "royal" family according to a Guardian/ICM poll. This is the lowest level of support since the question was first asked in 1987. Thirty-one percent thought Britain would be better as a republic. Twenty-six percent said they had no opinion. Only amongst those over 65 years was there a majority, of just 53 percent, that wanted to keep the monarchy.
The poll was conducted in November of 2002, following the abortive court case in which a former Windsor family butler was accused of theft.