Editing Monarchy (section)

== Current monarchies ==
{{Main article|List of current monarchs of sovereign states}}
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{| align=center
|[[File:World Monarchies.svg|thumb|750px|
{{legend|#AA0000|[[Absolute monarchy|Absolute monarchies]]}}
{{legend|#D45500|[[Constitutional monarchy|Semi-constitutional monarchies]]}}
{{legend|#285F27|[[Constitutional monarchy|Parliamentary monarchies]]}}
{{legend|#008000|[[Commonwealth realm]]s (parliamentary monarchies in [[personal union]])}}
{{legend|#FF00FF|[[List of monarchies#Subnational monarchies|Subnational monarchies]]}}]]
|}

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{{Basic Forms of government}}
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Currently, there are 43 nations and a population of roughly half a billion people in the world with a monarch as head of state. They fall roughly into the following categories:

=== Commonwealth realms ===
[[Charles III|King Charles III]] is, separately, monarch of fifteen [[Commonwealth realm]]s ([[Antigua and Barbuda]], the [[Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]], the [[The Bahamas|Commonwealth of the Bahamas]], [[Belize]], [[Canada]], [[Grenada]], [[Jamaica]], [[New Zealand]], the [[Papua New Guinea|Independent State of Papua New Guinea]], the [[Saint Kitts and Nevis|Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis]], [[Saint Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], the [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tuvalu]] and the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]]). They evolved out of the [[British Empire]] into fully independent states within the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] that retain the King as head of state. All fifteen realms are constitutional monarchies and full democracies where the King has limited powers or a largely ceremonial role. The King is head of the [[Church of England]] (the established church of England), while the other 14 realms do not have a [[state religion]].

=== Other European constitutional monarchies ===
The [[Andorra|Principality of Andorra]], the [[Belgium|Kingdom of Belgium]], the [[Danish Realm|Kingdom of Denmark]], the [[Luxembourg|Grand Duchy of Luxembourg]], the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], the [[Norway|Kingdom of Norway]], the [[Spain|Kingdom of Spain]], and the [[Sweden|Kingdom of Sweden]] are fully democratic states in which the monarch has a limited or largely ceremonial role. Some countries have established a Christian religion as the official church. This is the Lutheran form of [[Protestantism]] in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, while Andorra is a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] country. Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands have no official state religion. Luxembourg, which is predominantly Roman Catholic, has five so-called ''officially recognized cults of national importance'' (Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Greek Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Islam), a status which gives those religions some privileges like the payment of a state salary to their priests.

Andorra is unique among all existing monarchies, as it is a [[diarchy]], with the co-princes being shared by the [[president of France]] and the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell|bishop of Urgell]]. This situation, based on historical precedence, has created a peculiar situation among monarchies, as:
* neither of the co-princes is of Andorran descent;
* one is elected by citizens of a foreign country (France), but not by Andorrans as they cannot vote in the French presidential elections; and
* the other, the bishop of Urgell, is appointed by a foreign head of state, the pope.

===European semi-constitutional monarchies===
A [[Constitutional monarchy|semi-constitutional monarchy]] is a monarchy where the monarch rules according to a democratic constitution but still retains substantial powers. The [[Liechtenstein|Principality of Liechtenstein]] and the [[Monaco|Principality of Monaco]] are European semi-constitutional monarchies. For example, the [[2003 Liechtenstein constitutional referendum|2003 Constitution referendum]] gave the [[Monarchy of Liechtenstein|Prince of Liechtenstein]] the power to veto any law that the ''[[Landtag]]'' (parliament) proposes, while the Landtag can veto any law that the Prince tries to pass. The prince can appoint or dismiss any elective member or government employee. However, he is not an absolute monarch, as the people can call for a referendum to end the monarch's reign. When Hereditary Prince Alois threatened to veto a referendum to legalize abortion in 2011, it came as a surprise because the prince had not vetoed any law for over 30 years.{{NoteTag |In the end, this referendum failed to make it to a vote.}} The [[Monarchy of Monaco|prince of Monaco]] has simpler powers; he cannot appoint or dismiss any elective member or government employee to or from his or her post, but he can elect the [[Minister of State (Monaco)|minister of state]], [[Politics of Monaco|government council]] and judges. Both [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco]], and [[Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein]], are theoretically very powerful within their small states, but they have very limited power compared to the Islamic monarchs (see below). They also own huge tracts of land and are shareholders in many companies.

===Monarchies in the Muslim world===
The monarchies of the [[Bahrain|Kingdom of Bahrain]], the [[Brunei|Brunei Darussalam]], the [[Jordan|Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan]], the [[Kuwait|State of Kuwait]], [[Malaysia]], the [[Morocco|Kingdom of Morocco]], the [[Oman|Sultanate of Oman]], the [[Qatar|State of Qatar]], the [[Saudi Arabia|Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]] generally retain far more powers than their European or Commonwealth counterparts. Brunei Darussalam, Oman, and Saudi Arabia remain absolute monarchies; Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates are classified as mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the monarch retains most of his powers. Jordan, Malaysia, and Morocco are constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more substantial powers than European equivalents.

===East and Southeast Asian constitutional monarchies===
The [[Bhutan|Kingdom of Bhutan]], the [[Cambodia|Kingdom of Cambodia]], the [[Thailand|Kingdom of Thailand]], and [[Japan]] are constitutional monarchies where the monarch has a limited or merely ceremonial role. Bhutan made the change in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Xavier |first=Constantino |date=2020-07-08 |title=Bhutan's democratic transition and ties to India |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/07/08/bhutans-democratic-transition-and-ties-to-india/ |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=Brookings |language=en-US}}</ref> Cambodia had its own monarchy after independence from the [[French colonial empire]], but it was deposed after the [[Khmer Rouge]] came into power. The monarchy was subsequently restored in the peace agreement of 1993. Thailand transitioned into a constitutional monarchy over the course of the 20th century. Japan has had a monarchy, an [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]], according to legend, since Emperor Jimmu (reigned 660–585 BCE), making it the world's oldest existing monarchy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emperor of Japan |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Emperor_of_Japan/ |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=World History Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> After their defeat in the [[World War II|Second World War]], Japan was forced into limiting the power of the Emperor, giving almost all of it to the [[National Diet]].

===Other monarchies===
Four monarchies do not fit into any of the above groups by virtue of geography or class of monarchy: the [[Tonga|Kingdom of Tonga]] in [[Polynesia]]; the [[Eswatini|Kingdom of Eswatini]] and the [[Lesotho|Kingdom of Lesotho]] in Africa and the [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]] in Europe. Of these, Lesotho and Tonga are constitutional monarchies, while Eswatini and the Vatican City are absolute monarchies.

Eswatini is unique among these monarchies, often being considered a [[diarchy]]: the King, or [[Ngwenyama]], rules alongside his mother, the [[Ndlovukati]], as dual heads of state.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1999-02-22 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/arbp.1999.36.issue-1 |journal=Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series |volume=36 |issue=1 |doi=10.1111/arbp.1999.36.issue-1 |issn=0001-9844|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BTI 2022 Eswatini Country Report |url=https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report?isocode=SWZ&cHash=146c71974628ab13a493684f16c20c20 |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=BTI 2022 |language=en}}</ref> This was originally intended to provide a check on political power. The Ngwenyama, however, is considered the administrative head of state, while the Ndlovukati is considered the spiritual and national head of state, a position which more or less has become symbolic in recent years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thom |first1=Liezl |title=Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Eswatini is looking to the future while embracing her roots |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/princess-sikhanyiso-dlamini-eswatini-future-embracing-roots/story?id=77224505 |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=ABC News |date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

The [[Pope]] is the absolute monarch of the Vatican City State (a separate entity from the [[Holy See]]) by virtue of his position as head of the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] and Bishop of Rome; he is an elected rather than a hereditary ruler, and does not have to be a citizen of the territory prior to his election by the cardinals.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marans |first=Noam E. |date=2015-04-09 |title=The Pope Francis Effect and Catholic-Jewish Relations |journal=Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations |volume=10 |issue=1 |doi=10.6017/scjr.v10i1.8659 |issn=1930-3777|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Holy See (Vatican City) |date=2023-11-01 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/holy-see-vatican-city/#government |work=The World Factbook |access-date=2023-11-12 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Order of Malta]] describes itself as a "sovereign subject" based on its unique history and unusual present circumstances, but its exact status in international law is a subject of debate.

In [[Samoa]], the position of head of state is described in Part III of the 1960 [[Constitution of Samoa|Samoan constitution]]. At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipated that future heads of state would be chosen from among the four Tama a 'Aiga "royal" paramount chiefs. However, this is not required by the constitution, and, for this reason, Samoa can be considered a republic rather than a [[constitutional monarchy]].

The [[Kim family (North Korea)|ruling Kim family]] in [[North Korea]] ([[Kim Il Sung]], [[Kim Jong Il]] and [[Kim Jong Un]]) has been described as a ''de facto'' [[absolute monarchy]]<ref name=":0">Young W. Kihl, Hong Nack Kim. ''North Korea: The Politics of Regime Survival''. Armonk, New York, USA: M. E. Sharpe, Inc., 2006. Pp 56.</ref><ref name=":1">Robert A. Scalapino, Chong-Sik Lee. ''The Society''. University of California Press, 1972. Pp. 689.</ref><ref name=":2">Bong Youn Choy. A history of the Korean reunification movement: its issues and prospects. Research Committee on Korean Reunification, Institute of International Studies, Bradley University, 1984. Pp. 117.</ref> or a "hereditary dictatorship".<ref name="DPRKMonarch">{{Cite news |last=Sheridan |first=Michael |date=16 September 2007 |title=A tale of two dictatorships: The links between North Korea and Syria |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2452356.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=9 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219000655/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2452356.ece |archive-date=19 February 2008}}</ref> In 2013, Clause 2 of Article 10 of the new edited Ten Fundamental Principles of the [[Workers' Party of Korea|Korean Workers' Party]] states that the party and revolution must be carried "eternally" by the "[[Paektu Mountain|Baekdu]] (Kim's) bloodline".<ref name=":3">[http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/08/13/2013081301558.html The Twisted Logic of the N.Korean Regime], Chosun Ilbo, 2013-08-13, Accessed date: 2017-01-11</ref> This though does not mean it is a ''de jure'' absolute monarchy, as the country's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The [[al-Assad family]], which ruled [[Syria]] from 1971 to 2024, was similarly categorised as such.<ref name="DPRKMonarch" />

=== Long form titles for the country ===

* Kingdom: {{flag|Bahrain}}, {{flag|Belgium}}, {{flag|Bhutan}}, {{flag|Cambodia}}, {{flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}, {{flag|Eswatini}}, {{flag|Jordan}}, {{flag|Lesotho}}, {{flag|Morocco}}, {{flag|Kingdom of the Netherlands}}, {{flag|Norway}}, {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}, {{flag|Spain}}, {{flag|Sweden}}, {{flag|Thailand}}, {{flag|Tonga}}, {{flag|United Kingdom}}
* State: {{flag|Kuwait}}, {{flag|Qatar}}, ''{{flag|Japan}} (de facto)'', {{flag|Vatican City}}
* Principality: {{flag|Andorra}}, {{flag|Liechtenstein}}, {{flag|Monaco}}
* Federation: {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}, ''{{flag|Malaysia}} (de facto)''
* Commonwealth: {{flag|Australia}}, {{flag|Bahamas}}
* Sultanate: {{flag|Oman}}
* Nation: {{flag|Brunei Darussalam}}
* Grand Duchy: {{flag|Luxembourg}}
* Independent State: {{flag|Papua New Guinea}}
* Emirate: {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}, ''{{flag|Afghanistan}} (de facto)''
* None: {{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}, {{flag|Belize}}, {{flag|Canada}}, {{flag|Grenada}}, {{flag|Jamaica}}, {{flag|Japan}}, {{flag|Malaysia}}, {{flag|New Zealand}}, {{flag|Saint Lucia}}, {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}, {{flag|Solomon Islands}}, {{flag|Tuvalu}}