Royals: Brits' Salespeople?

Eight out of 10 Britons between the ages of 16 and 24 believe the royal family is out of touch and over-privileged, but good for the tourist industry, according to a poll released Saturday.

The ICM survey for The News of the World, a Sunday newspaper, polled around 500 young people by telephone. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Although 81 percent thought the royal family was good for tourism, nearly three-fifths said they would not cross the road to see Queen Elizabeth II if she came to visit their town.

Only 10 percent thought the royals were important to their life, but 79 percent thought they were good for charities, and 71 percent believed they gave Britain prestige abroad.

Asked which royals set a good example, 88 percent of respondents named Prince William, the elder son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. The queen scored 69 percent, and Prince Harry and Princess Anne 68 percent. Prince Charles was at 55 percent.

The poll was conducted in late October, just days after a tell-all memoir by Princess Diana's former butler went on sale in Britain. The book, with its juicy tidbits of some of royal life seen by Paul Burrell immediately became a best seller.