Monarchs of various countries:
A monarch is the head of a monarchy, a form of government in which a state is ruled by an individual who normally rules for life or until abdication, and typically inherits the throne by birth. Monarchs may be autocrats (as in all absolute monarchies) or may be ceremonial figureheads, exercising only limited or no reserve powers at all, with actual authority vested in a legislature and/or executive cabinet (as in many constitutional monarchies). In many cases, a monarch will also be linked with a state religion. Most states only have a single monarch at any given time, although a regent may rule when the monarch is a minor, not present, or otherwise incapable of ruling. Cases in which two monarchs rule simultaneously over a single state, as is the current situation in Andorra, are known as coregencies.
A variety of titles are applied in English; for example, "king" and "queen", "prince" and "princess", "grand duke" and "grand duchess", "emperor" and "empress". Although they will be addressed differently in their local languages, the names and titles in the list below have been styled using the common English equivalent. Roman numerals, used to distinguish related rulers with the same name, have been applied where typical.
In political and sociocultural studies, monarchies are normally associated with hereditary rule; most monarchs, in both historical and contemporary contexts, have been born and raised within a royal family. Succession has been defined using a variety of distinct formulae, such as proximity of blood, primogeniture, and agnatic seniority. Some monarchies, however, are not hereditary, and the ruler is instead determined through an elective process; a modern example is the throne of Malaysia. These systems defy the model concept of a monarchy, but are commonly considered as such because they retain certain associative characteristics. Many systems use a combination of hereditary and elective elements, where the election or nomination of a successor is restricted to members of a royal bloodline.
Entries below are listed beside their respective dominions, which are organised alphabetically. These monarchs reign as head of state in their respective sovereign states. Monarchs reigning over a constituent division, cultural or traditional polity are listed under constituent monarchs. For a list of former ruling families or abolished thrones, see: former ruling families.
Monarchs by country
Title
|
Monarch (Birth year)
|
Sovereign state(s)
|
Since
|
Length
|
House
|
Type
|
Heir to the throne
|
Ref.
|
Co-Prince
|
Joan Enric Vives i Sicília (b. 1949)
|
|
Andorra
|
12 May 2003
|
20 years, 317 days
|
—
|
Ceremonial
|
Ex officio
|
|
Emmanuel Macron (b. 1977)
|
|
14 May 2017
|
6 years, 315 days
|
—
|
King
|
Charles III (b. 1948)
|
|
Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Belize Canada Grenada Jamaica New Zealand Papua New Guinea Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Solomon Islands Tuvalu United Kingdom
|
8 September 2022
|
1 year, 198 days
|
Windsor
|
Ceremonial
|
William, Prince of Wales
|
|
King
|
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (b. 1950)
|
|
Bahrain
|
6 March 1999
|
25 years, 18 days
|
Al Khalifa
|
Executive
|
Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain
|
|
King
|
Philippe (b. 1960)
|
|
Belgium
|
21 July 2013
|
10 years, 247 days
|
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
|
Ceremonial
|
Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant
|
|
Druk Gyalpo
|
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (b. 1980)
|
|
Bhutan
|
9 December 2006
|
17 years, 106 days
|
Wangchuck
|
Executive
|
Jigme Namgyel
|
|
Sultan
|
Hassanal Bolkiah (b. 1946)
|
|
Brunei
|
5 October 1967 [dubious – discuss]
|
56 years, 171 days
|
Bolkiah
|
Absolute
|
Al-Muhtadee Billah
|
|
King
|
Norodom Sihamoni (b. 1953)
|
|
Cambodia
|
14 October 2004
|
19 years, 162 days
|
Norodom
|
Ceremonial
|
Hereditary and elective
|
|
King
|
Frederik X (b. 1968)
|
|
Denmark
|
14 January 2024
|
70 days
|
Glücksburg (official) Monpezat (agnatic)
|
Ceremonial
|
Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark
|
|
King
|
Mswati III (b. 1968)
|
|
Eswatini
|
25 April 1986
|
37 years, 334 days
|
Dlamini
|
Absolute
|
Hereditary and elective
|
|
Emperor
|
Naruhito (b. 1960)
|
|
Japan
|
1 May 2019
|
4 years, 328 days
|
Yamato
|
Ceremonial
|
Fumihito, Prince Akishino (Presumptive heir)
|
|
King
|
Abdullah II (b. 1962)
|
|
Jordan
|
7 February 1999
|
25 years, 46 days
|
Al Hāshim
|
Executive
|
Hereditary and elective (presumably Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan)
|
|
Emir
|
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (b. 1940)
|
|
Kuwait
|
16 December 2023
|
99 days
|
Al Sabah
|
Executive
|
Hereditary and elective
|
|
King
|
Letsie III (b. 1963)
|
|
Lesotho
|
7 February 1996
|
28 years, 46 days
|
Moshesh
|
Ceremonial
|
Lerotholi Seeiso
|
|
Prince
|
Hans-Adam II (b. 1945)
|
|
Liechtenstein
|
13 November 1989
|
34 years, 132 days
|
Liechtenstein
|
Executive
|
The Hereditary Prince Alois (currently Prince Regent)
|
|
Grand Duke
|
Henri (b. 1955)
|
|
Luxembourg
|
7 October 2000
|
23 years, 169 days
|
Luxembourg-Nassau
|
Ceremonial
|
Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg
|
|
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
|
Ibrahim Iskandar (b. 1958)
|
|
Malaysia
|
31 January 2024
|
53 days
|
Temenggong
|
Ceremonial & Federal
|
Elective
|
|
Prince
|
Albert II (b. 1958)
|
|
Monaco
|
6 April 2005
|
18 years, 353 days
|
Grimaldi
|
Executive
|
Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco
|
|
King
|
Mohammed VI (b. 1963)
|
|
Morocco
|
23 July 1999
|
24 years, 245 days
|
Alawi
|
Executive
|
Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
|
|
King
|
Willem-Alexander (b. 1967)
|
|
Netherlands
|
30 April 2013
|
10 years, 329 days
|
Orange-Nassau
|
Ceremonial
|
Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
|
|
King
|
Harald V (b. 1937)
|
|
Norway
|
17 January 1991
|
33 years, 67 days
|
Glücksburg
|
Ceremonial
|
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
|
|
Sultan
|
Haitham bin Tariq (b. 1954)
|
|
Oman
|
11 January 2020
|
4 years, 73 days
|
Al Said
|
Absolute
|
Theyazin bin Haitham
|
|
Emir
|
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (b. 1980)
|
|
Qatar
|
25 June 2013
|
10 years, 273 days
|
Al Thani
|
Executive
|
Abdullah bin Hamad
|
|
King
|
Salman (b. 1935)
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
23 January 2015
|
9 years, 61 days
|
Al Saud
|
Absolute
|
Mohammed bin Salman
|
|
King
|
Felipe VI (b. 1968)
|
|
Spain
|
19 June 2014
|
9 years, 279 days
|
Borbón-Anjou
|
Ceremonial
|
Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Presumptive heir)
|
|
King
|
Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946)
|
|
Sweden
|
15 September 1973
|
50 years, 191 days
|
Bernadotte
|
Ceremonial
|
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
|
|
King
|
Vajiralongkorn (b. 1952)
|
|
Thailand
|
13 October 2016
|
7 years, 163 days
|
Chakri
|
Ceremonial
|
Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (Presumptive heir)
|
|
King
|
Tupou VI (b. 1959)
|
|
Tonga
|
18 March 2012
|
12 years, 6 days
|
Tupou
|
Executive
|
Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
|
|
President
|
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (b. 1961)
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
14 May 2022
|
1 year, 315 days
|
Al Nahyan
|
Executive & Federal
|
Hereditary and elective (presumably Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan)
|
|
Pope
|
Francis (b. 1936)
|
|
Vatican City (Holy See)
|
13 March 2013
|
11 years, 11 days
|
—
|
Absolute
|
Elective
|
|
See also
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