Young adults think Prince William should jump ahead of his father and become king when the Queen dies, a survey suggests.

Of people questioned for a BBC poll, those aged 18 to 24 showed the strongest support for Prince Charles standing aside for his son.

Thirty-five per cent supported William as the next monarch, while only 27% opted for Prince Charles.

People over 24 were also included in the poll and when the answers of all generations are taken into account, a quite different picture emerges.

Taxpayer

Then, the Prince of Wales has the support of 47% to become the next King and 14% opting for an elected president.

But a third of those polled still backed Prince William.

There is good news for the Royal Family.

The ICM poll found 63% of people did not think the monarchy was out of date.

William was popular with jubilee crowds

Among young people however opinion was fairly evenly split with 44% saying the monarchy was out of date and 45% saying it was not.

Asked if the Royal Family cost the taxpayer too much money, 51% of all those asked said "Yes", 43% said "No" with 6% undecided.

Among the 18 to 24 age group, the figures were more marked, with 62% agreeing, 30% disagreeing and 8% undecided.

The BBC's royal correspondent Jennie Bond said the Queen would probably be "broadly quite content" with the survey's findings

She said it clearly showed young people would like to have a younger King and that nearly two thirds of people polled did not think the monarchy was out-of-date.

In a separate poll, more than 150,000 viewers voted through the internet, digital TV or by telephone during a special BBC debate entitled Our Monarchy - the Next 50 Years.

Half of those who voted wanted Charles to become the next King, although the younger they were the more likely they were to disagree.

Female viewers

One in five backed an elected president.

Only 28% opted for William, although this figure rose to 37% among female viewers.

The poll found 57% of viewers who voted thought the monarchy was not out of date, although the younger they were the more likely they were to disagree and this figure dropped to 47% in Scotland.

Asked if the Royal Family cost the taxpayer too much money, 46% of those who voted asked said "Yes", 52% said "No", with 2% undecided.

Of those aged over 65, just 34% agreed - but that figure rose to 51% among the 20 to 34 age group.

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