Only 15 per cent think Charles would make a better king, while 56 per cent preferred William, who last week announced he is to marry his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
Asked directly whether Charles should make way for William to become king when Elizabeth II dies, 44 per cent said he should, 37 per cent said he should not.
The views are part of a broader perception that the monarchy has an opportunity to renew itself by skipping a generation when the Queen's long reign comes to an end.
An overwhelming majority believe it is right for William, 28, to marry a woman who does not come from royal or aristocratic lineage. Two-thirds of people think that by marrying a commoner William will help to make the monarchy more "relevant" in the modern world.
If Elizabeth, who has been Queen since 1952, lives to a similar age to her mother, Charles could be nearly 80 by the time of succession. He is not regarded as having a popular touch, nor are the public enamoured of his second wife, Camilla. Few support the idea, floated by Charles last week, that she could be Queen if he succeeded to the throne.
William and Kate enjoy strong popular support and embody the prospect of change. There is widespread approval for what one senior Buckingham Palace insider described as a "historic but modest" wedding.
The royals recognise that the public mood during a time of economic stress is in favour of a royal spectacle but on a less extravagant scale than Charles's marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
Prince William Voted Next King
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