Prince William’s statement on conflict in Middle East backed by Britons

Prince William’s statement on conflict in Middle East backed by Britons

Watch: Mims Davies call Prince William is a 'fantastic advocate' for UK

GB News
Hannah Ross

By Hannah Ross


Published: 23/02/2024

- 08:36

Updated: 23/02/2024

- 08:37

A new poll by YouGov measured public attitude toward the Prince of Wales’s recent comments on the war in the Middle East

Prince William’s recent statement on the war in the Middle East has been backed by Britons in a new poll.

On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales waded into the conflict by releasing a statement on the “terrible human cost” of the war.


The prince’s comments were met with controversy as the Royal Family are generally expected to remain politically neutral and stay out of politics.

A YouGov poll asked the British public: "Do you think it is or is not appropriate for Prince William to comment on the present situation in the Middle East?"

Prince William

Prince William's Gaza comments backed by British public in a new poll

Getty

Out of 7,965 adults surveyed, 47 percent thought it was appropriate for the Prince of Wales to release his statement, 24 percent thought it was not appropriate and 29 percent said that they did not know.

The prince’s statement said: “I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.

“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released."

The prince continued: “Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.

Statement from Prince WilliamThe statement from Prince William GB News/ Prince of Wales

“Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.”

The poll was categorised into five other sections: region, gender, politics, age and social grade.

The survey found that people over the age of 65 were more likely to think it was appropriate for the prince to comment while people between the ages of 18 to 24 were least likely to agree.

It also found that Liberal Democrats were most supportive of William’s statement followed by Labour voters and finally Conservatives.

Prince WilliamPrince William visited the British Red Cross headquarters in London on TuesdayPA
Prince William

Prince William called for the fighting in the Israel/Hamas conflict to end "as soon as possible"

PA

Prince William was also backed by British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak who stated that the prince’s comments were in line with his government's own beliefs.

The Prince of Wales was also praised as a “fantastic advocate” for the UK by Work and Pensions Minister Mims Davies MP.

Shortly following his statement, the Israeli government responded to the prince’s call to end the fighting.

Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, said: "Israelis of course want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible, and that will be possible once the 134 hostages are released, and once the Hamas terror army threatening to repeat the October 7 atrocities is dismantled.”

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