New research reveals over double the number of us (19%) would rather bring Princess Diana back from the dead in order to meet her, compared to the Queen (9%). 

For those alive, David Attenborough is the most popular famous face, following by Adele and Catherine, Princess of Wales (10%) – the highest ranking Royal. 

A further breakdown of Royal Family members that Brits would most like to meet:

RankRoyal Family member Proportion of people 
1Catherine, Princess of Wales10%
2Prince William6%
3King Charles5%
4Prince Harry4%
5Camilla, Queen Consort3%
6Meghan Markle2%
The Prince and Princess of Wales in Cardiff
  • Almost a fifth of us would opt to resurrect Princess Diana for a meeting – more than twice as many as The Queen
  • Albert Einstein is the second choice, with one in ten saying they’d want to meet him
  • David Attenborough is most sought after of living celebrities

Over double the number of Brits (19%) would rather bring Princess Diana back from the dead in order to meet her, compared to the Queen (9%), according to a new study. 

The research by Paddy Power Bingo, asked the famous question of who respondents would most like to meet – dead or alive – and reveals that the former Princess of Wales featured most in people’s top five. 

Looking specifically at those who are no longer with us, physicist Albert Einstein (11%) and Queen front-man Freddie Mercury (10%) also made many top five lists. Queen Elizabeth II, however, only made it to sixth on the list, popular with fewer than half of the real Queen of Hearts, Diana. 

Top 10 deceased famous faces Brits would want to bring back to meet:

RankCelebrityProportion of people 
1Princess Diana19%
2Albert Einstein11%
3Freddie Mercury10%
4Robin Williams10%
5Elvis Presley9%
6The Queen9%
7David Bowie8%
8Bob Marley8%
9Winston Churchill7%
10Marilyn Monroe7%

A quarter of people said the top reason for wanting to meet their heroes was to enjoy their talent again, shortly followed by wanting to hear their life story (23%). 

A slightly more shallow 2% of respondents said they’d want bragging rights for meeting the famous face, while 1% just want to take a selfie with them. 

For those still alive and well, David Attenborough scored highest, with over a fifth (22%) of Brits saying he’d be in their top five celebs they’d most like to meet. Following the well-loved English broadcaster is Adele (11%) and Catherine, Princess of Wales (10%) – the highest ranking Royal. 

Top 10 famous faces Brits would want to meet:

RankCelebrityProportion of people 
1David Attenborough22%
2Adele11%
3Catherine, Princess of Wales10%
4Tom Hanks9%
5Judi Dench9%
6Dwayne Johnson9%
7Ryan Reynolds7%
8Will Smith7%
9Morgan Freeman7%
10Brad Pitt7%
David Attenborough

Kate is joined by her husband as the most sought-after members of the Royal Family, with William making 6% of people’s top five. Despite his upcoming Coronation, King Charles ranked lower than his eldest son, with just one in twenty wanting to come face-to-face with the new Monarch. 

The least popular royals included Harry, Camilla with Meghan, with Harry sitting just above the Queen Consort, showing that the Nation might still have a sweet spot for the runaway Royal. 

Royal Family members Brits would most like to meet:

RankRoyal Family member Proportion of people 
1Catherine, Princess of Wales10%
2Prince William6%
3King Charles5%
4Prince Harry4%
5Camilla, Queen Consort3%
6Meghan Markle2%

Despite the belief that ‘you should never meet your heroes’, more than three in five (71%) disagreed with this notion, with just 1% of Brits saying that it was a terrible experience when meeting their favourite star. 

A spokesperson for Paddy Power Bingo told us…..

“We’ve all been in the pub or at a friends for dinner when someone asks the question “Who would you most like to meet, dead or alive?”, and now we know definitively what the nation thinks.

“As Charles’ Coronation takes place next week, there’s still a clear love for Princess Diana, and the popularity of the Princess of Wales title has continued as people would much rather meet Kate than the new King himself. Maybe Brits just aren’t that keen on sausage fingers.”