One in five Brits (19%) plan to watch the royal Coronation this weekend – but a third admit they are often left stumped when it comes to the history of the royal family, and the key people and dates involved.
Nearly half of Brits (45%) would like to know more about the British monarchy – as many struggled to identify pictures of Queen Victoria (14%), or Henry VIII (12%).
And only two-thirds (65%), of the 2,000 adults polled, were aware that the Tudor monarch famously had six wives.
But while two-thirds find royal history confusing, many are no better when it comes to the modern day monarchy – as 13% weren't even aware that Prince William is currently heir to the throne.
And one in ten have even mistaken iconic British stars including Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and David Attenborough, for members of the royal family.
The research was commissioned by Lottoland.co.uk, which is putting Britain’s royalty knowledge to the test this May with a special monarchy edition of its Yeardle quiz.
A Lottoland spokesman, said: “Many of us love reading about the royal family. They are figure heads for the UK, and are known around the world.
“But it seems many are confused by the monarchy and its history – even when it comes to previous kings and queens.
“More importantly, the fact that celebrities and icons, such as Hugh Grant and David Attenborough, are even thought of as members of the royal family, speaks volume in terms of the nation’s knowledge of the British monarchy – the royal edition of Yeardle can’t come soon enough!”
The study also found 29% of adults enjoy keeping up with the royal family – with 54% feeling they should know more about it as they consider it as central to British culture.
Other incentives to better understand the royal family include finding it interesting (48%), being able to offer an opinion in conversations (27%), and the topic coming up regularly in pub quizzes (24%).
But 66% find royal history confusing – thanks to the timeline going back so far (50%), monarchs all having similar names (47%), and the variety of different titles (43%), while 24% believe the royal family structure is unclear.
And just 48% knew that, prior to changing their name to Windsor during World War I, they were known as Saxe-Coburg – with 15% believing they were known as the Tudor family, despite those royals being on the throne hundreds of years earlier.
However, 40% think events such as the coronation and the jubilees encourage them to learn more about its history.
More than half (52%) tune into documentaries to learn more about the subject, while 40% like to read online articles – and 22% feel they’ve learned more from popular Netflix show, The Crown.
The research, carried out via OnePoll, found that despite the lack of knowledge, 19% are planning to watch the King’s coronation, while others will attend street parties, bake cakes, or even host a royal-themed party.
The Lottoland spokesman added: “It’s good to see people keen to understand more about British culture and the history of the royal family.
“And with the King’s Coronation taking place this weekend, it’s the perfect time to brush up on your knowledge, and commemorate what will be a historical occasion.”
