When the Duke of Sussex put down roots in America, he no doubt wanted to capture the hearts of those in his new country.

But it is his older brother, the Prince of Wales, 42, that appears to be better connected with those across the pond.

William’s popularity is so potent that he’s polled much higher among Americans than the country’s own heavyweight public figures, despite the country having their own British prince on home soil.

Analytics firm Gallup asked US voters what they thought about 15 big names on the world stage in 2023, and the heir to the British throne came top, beating homegrown notables President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump.

It’s not just members of the public that have taken a liking to William, but also the pop sensation Taylor Swift, 34, and her American football tight end boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also 34.

The Prince of Wales (pictured during his trip to New York in 2023) has polled better among Americans than the country’s own heavyweight public figures

Taylor Swift smiled for a selfie with Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and her boyfriend Travis Kelce backstage at Wembley Stadium

Kelce brothers rave about ‘superstar’ Princess Charlotte

Gallup acknowledged the ‘surprise’ of an English prince beating the ‘nation’s own democratically elected and appointed leaders’ in their own backyard.

After all, the group said in a statement, Americans waged a war of independence nearly 250 years ago to escape the ‘tyranny of the British crown. ‘It could be the latest sign of how deeply polarized American society has become, they added.

‘The US may need to look beyond its borders to find public figures that a majority of Americans feel good about,’ said the statement. At home, it’s difficult to find somebody who ‘Republicans and Democrats can agree on,’ it added.

The polling group asked more than 1,000 adults nationwide whether they had favourable or unfavourable views of the 15 newsmakers.

The difference between those two percentage scores is their favorability rating. Fully 59 percent of respondents described William favorably, and 22 percent unfavorably. That puts the prince 37 percentage points above water.

Trump, Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris and former Vice President Mike Pence are all underwater by more than 14 points. The only Americans who pass the favorability test are First Lady Jill Biden and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.