LONDON - The majority of Australians would prefer Britain's Prince William to be their next king instead of his father Prince Charles, according to a poll published Tuesday.

The 27-year-old royal, who arrives in Sydney on Tuesday after visiting New Zealand, also proved popular with the country's women.

The survey for British television channel ITV News found 58% of those interviewed thought William should be the next monarch compared with 30% who favored Charles. William is second-in-line to the throne after his father.

Sixty-three percent of Australian women said they would like to see William ascend to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II, with just 28% preferring Charles.

William, who is on his first official trip overseas on behalf of his grandmother the queen, was praised for his performance in British newspapers Monday with the Daily Telegraph dubbing him "Prince Charming."

"It marks a significant milestone for the prince for he is representing his 83-year-old grandmother overseas for the first time," commented the paper in an editorial.

But some also chose to highlight a painful incident during a rugby event, when the British prince appeared to take a ball to the groin.

The Daily Express carried the headline "William's low blow Down Under" and showed a picture of him doubling over.

The survey also showed a close result for the question of whether the queen should remain Australia's head of state, with 45% voting in favor and 43% against.

But when asked whether the queen should stand down and hand over to a new monarch, 56% agreed with the question and only 29% thought she should stay on the throne.

Newspoll carried out the survey for ITV News and quizzed 1,203 Australian adults over the weekend.