Over double the number of Brits would rather meet Princess Diana back than the Queen, according to a new study. The research by Paddy Power Bingo, asked respondents who they would most like to meet – dead or alive – and reveals that the former Princess of Wales featured most in people’s top five.
Looking specifically at those who are no longer with us, physicist Albert Einstein and Queen front-man Freddie Mercury also made many top five lists. Queen Elizabeth II, however, only made it to sixth on the list.
Top 10 deceased famous faces Brits would want to bring back to meet:
Rank |
Celebrity |
Proportion of people |
1 |
Princess Diana |
19% |
2 |
Albert Einstein |
11% |
3 |
Freddie Mercury |
10% |
4 |
Robin Williams |
10% |
5 |
Elvis Presley |
9% |
6 |
The Queen |
9% |
7 |
David Bowie |
8% |
8 |
Bob Marley |
8% |
9 |
Winston Churchill |
7% |
10 |
Marilyn Monroe |
7% |
A quarter of people said the top reason for wanting to meet their heroes was to enjoy their talent again, shortly followed by wanting to hear their life story (23%). A slightly more shallow 2% of respondents said they’d want bragging rights for meeting the famous face, while 1% just want to take a selfie with them.
For those still alive and well, David Attenborough scored highest, with over a fifth (22%) of Brits saying he’d be in their top five celebs they’d most like to meet. Following the well-loved English broadcaster is Adele (11%) and Catherine, Princess of Wales (10%) – the highest ranking Royal.
Top 10 famous faces Brits would want to meet:
Rank |
Celebrity |
Proportion of people |
1 |
David Attenborough |
22% |
2 |
Adele |
11% |
3 |
Catherine, Princess of Wales |
10% |
4 |
Tom Hanks |
9% |
5 |
Judi Dench |
9% |
6 |
Dwayne Johnson |
9% |
7 |
Ryan Reynolds |
7% |
8 |
Will Smith |
7% |
9 |
Morgan Freeman |
7% |
10 |
Brad Pitt |
7% |
Kate is joined by her husband as the most sought-after members of the Royal Family, with William making 6% of people’s top five. Despite his upcoming Coronation, King Charles ranked lower than his eldest son, with just one in twenty wanting to come face-to-face with the new Monarch.
The least popular royals included Harry, Camilla with Meghan, with Harry sitting just above the Queen Consort, showing that the Nation might still have a sweet spot for the runaway Royal.
Royal Family members Brits would most like to meet:
Rank |
Royal Family member |
Proportion of people |
1 |
Catherine, Princess of Wales |
10% |
2 |
Prince William |
6% |
3 |
King Charles |
5% |
4 |
Prince Harry |
4% |
5 |
Camilla, Queen Consort |
3% |
6 |
Meghan Markle |
2% |
Despite the belief that ‘you should never meet your heroes’, more than three in five (71%) disagreed with this notion, with just 1% of Brits saying that it was a terrible experience when meeting their favourite star.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power Bingo said, “We’ve all been in the pub or at a friends for dinner when someone asks the question “Who would you most like to meet, dead or alive?”, and now we know definitively what the nation thinks.
“As Charles’ Coronation takes place next week, there’s still a clear love for Princess Diana, and the popularity of the Princess of Wales title has continued as people would much rather meet Kate than the new King himself. Maybe Brits just aren’t that keen on sausage fingers.”
