NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
King Charles III has become monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth realms, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96
However, while our Royal Family is very famous and the late Queen was revered as a global figure of interest, The King is not the only monarch out there.
In fact, several other countries have their own form of monarchy, with their own kings, queens and leaders.
Find out where else has their own royals – plus discover the other countries The King currently reigns over.
Ignoring countries with King Charles III as Head of State, there are currently 28 other monarchies in the world.
They are as follows:
Many of Europe’s monarchies are fairly similar to the UK’s – such as Monaco, which has King Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco as head of their royal family.
But not all of these monarchies are the same, nor are they all headed by a king or queen.
In Andorra, the monarchy has two Co-Princes: a bishop and whoever is the President of France.
So, yep, Emmanuel Macron is technically a Co-Prince in Andorra, as is current Bishop of Urgell Joan Enric-Vives.
Bhutan has King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, alongside Queen Jetsun Pema – but their titles are technically Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) and Druk Gyaltsuen (Dragon Queen).
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Liechtenstein has a Sovereign Prince in Hans-Adam II, while Luxembourg has Grand Duke Henri and Japan has Emperor Naruhito. Oman meanwhile has a Sultan, and Qatar is reigned over by an Emir.
Many monarchies are constitutional, like the UK’s, which (put simply) works in tandem with a government or Parliament.
However, some countries have an absolute monarchy, where the monarch rules outright – such as Brunei (led by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah), Eswatini (by King Mswati III) and Saudia Arabia (by King Salman).
The Vatican also has an absolute monarchy, which is led by Pope Francis.
There are also mixed or federal monarchies, which loosely explained sees one monarch reign over several states – with each individual state maintaining its own monarch, too.
King Charles III is king of 14 countries beyond the UK, as well as a number of British Overseas Territories.
So, addition to reigning over England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, His Majesty is also king of Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Turks and Caicos Islands, among others.
Countries-wise, Charles III is Head of State in:
That said, this list could well change over the coming years or decades.
Antigua and Barbuda will vote on whether King Charles III remains Head of State within the next three years, perhaps following in the footsteps of Barbados in becoming a republic.
There is also pro-republican sentiment in parts of Australia, including from its Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that the country will not seek to become a republic ‘anytime soon’ – though suggested it could happen ‘in her lifetime’.
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