The four days of events to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years on the throne kicks off on June 2, 2022, which will see various members of the royal family dressed up in their finest for engagements like a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony for a Royal Air Force fly-by. Even Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are traveling from California to the UK for the occasion with their 3-year-old son Archie and baby daughter Lilibet, who turns one on June 4, 2022, amid the jubilee celebrations for her great-grandmother. But the UK isn’t the only country with a thriving monarchy. Here’s our list of 11 other countries that a series of royal families call home!
1. Monaco
The House of Grimaldi is the longest-ruling royal family in Europe, having reigned in the principality of Monaco for almost 800 years. Their reigning sovereign is currently 64-year-old Prince Albert, whose mother was Grace Kelly. Like her present-day counterpart Meghan Markle, Grace was an American actress who married into royalty. She went by the title Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco.
2. Saudi Arabia
There are an astonishing 15,000 members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. However, the majority of wealth, power and influence is concentrated in the hands of about 2,000 of its members. The country’s current monarch is Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was crowned in 2015. The estimated net worth of the House of Saud is said to be around $1.4 trillion.
3. Denmark
Denmark’s monarchy is one of the oldest in the world. Margrethe II, 82, is the country’s ruler and is the first woman in the history of Denmark to be crowned sovereign. Apparently, Queen Margrethe can trace her lineage back more than a millennium to a king who ruled sometime around the year 900. Margrethe will someday be succeeded by her son Crown Prince Frederik, whose wife Princess Mary has gained a reputation as a style queen since their fairytale wedding in 2004, when she walked up the aisle in a stunning but simple ivory gown (with a boat neck similar to the one Meghan wore on her 2018 wedding day) and an antique lace veil.
4. Spain
Spain is currently ruled by King Felipe VI, who is married to Queen Letizia. Their version of the Prince or Princess of Wales—who like Prince Charles is usually the heir presumptive—is the Prince or Princess of Asturias. Queen Letizia is another European royal who is known for her wonderful sense of style. She stepped out recently in a hot pink maxi dress and matching espadrilles, which she paired with gold hoop earrings.
5. Bhutan
The Himalayan Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan is home to a population of 700,000 and Druk Gyalpo, or “Dragon King” Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The monarch is 42 years old and ascended to the throne in 2008. He is married to Druk Gyaltsuen (“Dragon Queen”) Jetsun Pema. Khesar is known for his work in encouraging young people’s participation in the democratic system and for legalizing homosexuality in Bhutan in 2021.
6. Cambodia
Cambodia is one of the few elective monarchies that exist in the world. The monarchy has been in existence from 68 AD to 1970 when it was abolished. In 1993 the monarchy was reinstated with the King of Cambodia being an elected figurehead. The current king is Norodom Sihamoni, who is a bachelor with no children.
7. Belgium
There have been seven kings since Belgium became independent in 1830. Like the British royal family, they have historically overseen atrocities committed in the name of imperialism—in 1885 King Leopold II seized the Congo Free State as his personal property, thus sparking a period of extreme violence, oppression, famine and disease. Leopold’s distant nephew Phillipe is the current King of the Belgians. Phillipe is the “poorest” of Europe’s monarchs, with a net worth of $13 million.
8. Lichenstein
Liechtenstein might be the sixth-smallest country in the world, but its monarch is one of the richest in Europe! Prince Hans-Adam II, 77, has a net worth estimated to be $4.7 billion. This means he’s also one of the richest heads of state in the world. He was married to his second cousin once-removed Countess Marie Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau who died last year at the age of 81.
9. Eswatini
When Msatini III was crowned king at the age of 18 in 1986 of the landlocked country in southern Africa formerly known as Swaziland, he became the youngest ruling monarch in the world. He practices polygamy and has 15 wives. He is an absolute monarch, which means he gets to appoint the country’s prime minister and other top officials. Under his rule, divorce and miniskirts are banned. The Kingdom of Eswatini is actually a diarchy, which sees two people rule jointly together. In the case of Eswatini, it’s a king and a queen mother.
10. Andorra
You may know him as the president of France, but did you know that as president Macron is also co-prince of Andorra? Andorra is an independent microstate between Frances and Spain, located in the Pyrenees mountains. Macron shares the title with the Spanish Bishop of Urgell. Andorra is another example of a diarchy.
11. Japan
The Imperial House of Japan is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world. Currently, Emperor Naruhito sits on the Chrysanthemum Throne. His niece Princess Mako and her husband Kei Komuro were at one point nicknamed “Japan’s Harry and Meghan” due to the intense scrutiny and criticism of their relationship in the press. Their eventual marriage saw Mako become a commoner and relinquish her royal status. The couple then moved to New York. Japan has male-only succession laws. Next up, find out if you can visit Princess Diana’s grave—and what dress she was buried in.
