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
|
21 years, 51 days
|
—
|
Ceremonial
|
Ex officio
|
|
Emmanuel Macron (b. 1977)
|
|
14 May 2017
|
7 years, 49 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, 298 days
|
Windsor
|
Ceremonial
|
William, Prince of Wales
|
|
King
|
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (b. 1950)
|
|
Bahrain
|
6 March 1999
|
25 years, 118 days
|
Al Khalifa
|
Executive
|
Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain
|
|
King
|
Philippe (b. 1960)
|
|
Belgium
|
21 July 2013
|
10 years, 347 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, 206 days
|
Wangchuck
|
Executive
|
Jigme Namgyel
|
|
Sultan
|
Hassanal Bolkiah (b. 1946)
|
|
Brunei
|
5 October 1967
|
56 years, 271 days
|
Bolkiah
|
Absolute
|
Al-Muhtadee Billah
|
|
King
|
Norodom Sihamoni (b. 1953)
|
|
Cambodia
|
14 October 2004
|
19 years, 262 days
|
Norodom
|
Ceremonial
|
Hereditary and elective
|
|
King
|
Frederik X (b. 1968)
|
|
Denmark
|
14 January 2024
|
170 days
|
Glücksburg (official) Monpezat (agnatic)
|
Ceremonial
|
Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark
|
|
King
|
Mswati III (b. 1968)
|
|
Eswatini
|
25 April 1986
|
38 years, 68 days
|
Dlamini
|
Absolute
|
Hereditary and elective
|
|
Emperor
|
Naruhito (b. 1960)
|
|
Japan
|
1 May 2019
|
5 years, 62 days
|
Yamato
|
Ceremonial
|
Fumihito, Prince Akishino (Heir presumptive)
|
|
King
|
Abdullah II (b. 1962)
|
|
Jordan
|
7 February 1999
|
25 years, 146 days
|
Al Hāshim
|
Executive
|
Hereditary and elective (presumably Hussein bin Abdullah)
|
|
Emir
|
Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (b. 1940)
|
|
Kuwait
|
16 December 2023
|
199 days
|
Al Sabah
|
Executive
|
Hereditary and elective (presumably Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah)
|
|
King
|
Letsie III (b. 1963)
|
|
Lesotho
|
7 February 1996
|
28 years, 146 days
|
Moshesh
|
Ceremonial
|
Lerotholi Seeiso
|
|
Prince
|
Hans-Adam II (b. 1945)
|
|
Liechtenstein
|
13 November 1989
|
34 years, 232 days
|
Liechtenstein
|
Executive
|
The Hereditary Prince Alois (currently Prince Regent)
|
|
Grand Duke
|
Henri (b. 1955)
|
|
Luxembourg
|
7 October 2000
|
23 years, 269 days
|
Luxembourg-Nassau
|
Ceremonial
|
Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg
|
|
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
|
Ibrahim Iskandar (b. 1958)
|
|
Malaysia
|
31 January 2024
|
153 days
|
Temenggong
|
Ceremonial & Federal
|
Elective (presumably Nazrin Shah)
|
|
Prince
|
Albert II (b. 1958)
|
|
Monaco
|
6 April 2005
|
19 years, 87 days
|
Grimaldi
|
Executive
|
Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco
|
|
King
|
Mohammed VI (b. 1963)
|
|
Morocco
|
23 July 1999
|
24 years, 345 days
|
Alawi
|
Executive
|
Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
|
|
King
|
Willem-Alexander (b. 1967)
|
|
Netherlands
|
30 April 2013
|
11 years, 63 days
|
Orange-Nassau
|
Ceremonial
|
Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
|
|
King
|
Harald V (b. 1937)
|
|
Norway
|
17 January 1991
|
33 years, 167 days
|
Glücksburg
|
Ceremonial
|
Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
|
|
Sultan
|
Haitham bin Tariq (b. 1954)
|
|
Oman
|
11 January 2020
|
4 years, 173 days
|
Al Said
|
Absolute
|
Theyazin bin Haitham
|
|
Emir
|
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (b. 1980)
|
|
Qatar
|
25 June 2013
|
11 years, 7 days
|
Al Thani
|
Executive
|
Abdullah bin Hamad
|
|
King
|
Salman (b. 1935)
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
23 January 2015
|
9 years, 161 days
|
Al Saud
|
Absolute
|
Mohammed bin Salman
|
|
King
|
Felipe VI (b. 1968)
|
|
Spain
|
19 June 2014
|
10 years, 13 days
|
Borbón-Anjou
|
Ceremonial
|
Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Heir presumptive)
|
|
King
|
Carl XVI Gustaf (b. 1946)
|
|
Sweden
|
15 September 1973
|
50 years, 291 days
|
Bernadotte
|
Ceremonial
|
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
|
|
King
|
Vajiralongkorn (b. 1952)
|
|
Thailand
|
13 October 2016
|
7 years, 263 days
|
Chakri
|
Ceremonial
|
Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (Heir presumptive)
|
|
King
|
Tupou VI (b. 1959)
|
|
Tonga
|
18 March 2012
|
12 years, 106 days
|
Tupou
|
Executive
|
Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
|
|
President
|
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (b. 1961)
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
14 May 2022
|
2 years, 49 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, 111 days
|
—
|
Absolute
|
Elective
|
|
See also