SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
A new Gallup poll came out this week to show what public figures the American public holds in highest esteem. Beyonce and Taylor Swift were not on the survey. They might have run away with the result. Neither was BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump tied with favorable ratings of just 41%. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was admired by 57% of the respondents. Most remarkable might be the showing of the British monarchy. King Charles III had a favorable rating of 46%, higher than any American politician. And at the very top is William, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. Fifty-nine percent of American respondents view him favorably, far above any American on the list. America had a revolution to break free of the British crown - what, in 1776, the Declaration of Independence called its absolute tyranny. Today, it's as if the boast King George III sings to America in the musical "Hamilton" is on a course to becoming true.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU'LL BE BACK")
JONATHAN GROFF: (As King George, singing) You'll be back, soon you'll see. You'll remember you belong to me. You'll be back. Time will tell. You'll remember that I served you well. Oceans rise, empires fall. We have seen each other... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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