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.
- Examples of absolute monarchs (top row):
- Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
- Salman, King of Saudi Arabia
- Pope Leo XIV
- Examples of executive monarchs (middle row):
- Albert II, Prince of Monaco
- Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
- Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar
- Examples of ceremonial monarchs (bottom row):
- Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
- Naruhito, Emperor of Japan
- Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
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 | Portrait | Arms or emblem | Sovereign state(s) | Since (Length) | House | Type | Heir to the throne | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-Prince | Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat | Andorra | 31 May 2025 (246 days) | N/a | Ceremonial | Ex officio | |||
| Emmanuel Macron | 14 May 2017 (8 years, 263 days) | ||||||||
| King | Charles III | Antigua and Barbuda | 8 September 2022 (3 years, 146 days) | Windsor | Ceremonial | William, Prince of Wales | |||
| 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 | |||||||||
| King | Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa | Bahrain | 6 March 1999 (26 years, 332 days) | Al Khalifa | Executive | Salman, Crown Prince of Bahrain | |||
| King | Philippe | Belgium | 21 July 2013 (12 years, 195 days) | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | Ceremonial | Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Princess of Belgium | |||
| King | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Bhutan | 9 December 2006 (19 years, 54 days) | Wangchuck | Executive | Jigme Namgyel | |||
| Sultan | Hassanal Bolkiah | Brunei | 5 October 1967 (58 years, 119 days)[dubious – discuss] | Bolkiah | Absolute | Al-Muhtadee Billah | |||
| King | Norodom Sihamoni | Cambodia | 14 October 2004 (21 years, 110 days) | Norodom | Ceremonial | Hereditary and elective | |||
| King | Frederik X | Denmark | 14 January 2024 (2 years, 18 days) | Glücksburg | Ceremonial | Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark | |||
| King | Mswati III | Eswatini | 25 April 1986 (39 years, 282 days) | Dlamini | Absolute | Hereditary and elective | |||
| Queen Mother | Ntfombi | 10 August 1983 (42 years, 175 days) | |||||||
| Emperor | Naruhito | Japan | 1 May 2019 (6 years, 276 days) | Imperial House | Ceremonial | Fumihito, Prince Akishino (Heir presumptive) | |||
| King | Abdullah II | Jordan | 7 February 1999 (26 years, 359 days) | Al Hāshim | Executive | Hereditary and elective (presumably Hussein bin Abdullah) | |||
| Emir | Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Kuwait | 16 December 2023 (2 years, 47 days) | Al Sabah | Executive | Hereditary and elective (presumably Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah) | |||
| King | Letsie III | Lesotho | 7 February 1996 (29 years, 359 days) | Moshesh | Ceremonial | Lerotholi Seeiso | |||
| Prince | Hans-Adam II | Liechtenstein | 13 November 1989 (36 years, 80 days) | Liechtenstein | Executive | Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (currently Prince Regent) | |||
| Grand Duke | Guillaume V | Luxembourg | 3 October 2025 (121 days) | Luxembourg-Nassau | Ceremonial | Prince Charles of Luxembourg | [obsolete source] | ||
| King | Sultan Ibrahim | Malaysia | 31 January 2024 (2 years, 1 day) | Temenggong | Ceremonial & Federal | Elective (presumably Sultan Nazrin Shah) | |||
| Prince | Albert II | Monaco | 6 April 2005 (20 years, 301 days) | Grimaldi | Executive | Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco | |||
| King | Mohammed VI | Morocco | 23 July 1999 (26 years, 193 days) | Alawi | Executive | Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco | |||
| King | Willem-Alexander | Netherlands | 30 April 2013 (12 years, 277 days) | Orange-Nassau | Ceremonial | Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange | |||
| King | Harald V | Norway | 17 January 1991 (35 years, 15 days) | Glücksburg | Ceremonial | Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway | |||
| Sultan | Haitham bin Tariq | Oman | 11 January 2020 (6 years, 21 days) | Al Said | Absolute | Theyazin bin Haitham | |||
| Emir | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani | Qatar | 25 June 2013 (12 years, 221 days) | Al Thani | Executive | Abdullah bin Hamad | |||
| King | Salman | Saudi Arabia | 23 January 2015 (11 years, 9 days) | Al Saud | Absolute | Mohammed bin Salman | |||
| King | Felipe VI | Spain | 19 June 2014 (11 years, 227 days) | Bourbon-Anjou | Ceremonial | Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Heir presumptive) | |||
| King | Carl XVI Gustaf | Sweden | 15 September 1973 (52 years, 139 days) | Bernadotte | Ceremonial | Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden | |||
| King | Rama X, Vajiralongkorn | Thailand | 13 October 2016 (9 years, 111 days) | Chakri | Ceremonial | Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (Heir presumptive) | |||
| King | Tupou VI | Tonga | 18 March 2012 (13 years, 320 days) | Tupou | Executive | Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala | |||
| President | Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | United Arab Emirates | 14 May 2022 (3 years, 263 days) | Al Nahyan | Executive & Federal | Hereditary and elective (presumably Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan) | |||
| Pope | Leo XIV | Vatican City (Holy See) | 8 May 2025 (269 days) | N/a | Absolute | Elective |
See also
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