Countries With a Monarch as Head of State: The Full List

Roughly 43 sovereign states have a monarch as head of state. This includes 15 Commonwealth realms that share King Charles III (such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), ten European monarchies, eight Middle Eastern kingdoms and emirates, six Asian monarchies, and two African kingdoms — Eswatini and Lesotho.

Introduction

Monarchy is one of the oldest forms of government on Earth, yet it remains surprisingly common in the 21st century. Depending on exactly how you count shared crowns and micro-states, about 43 sovereign nations recognise a king, queen, emperor, sultan, emir, or prince as their head of state. Most of these are constitutional monarchies, where the crown reigns but does not rule and real power rests with an elected parliament. A smaller number are absolute monarchies, where the monarch holds genuine executive authority.

This guide lists the world's monarchies by region and explains the crucial difference between ceremonial and governing crowns.

The 15 Commonwealth Realms

King Charles III is head of state of 15 independent countries known as Commonwealth realms. Each is a fully sovereign nation that shares the same monarch, represented locally by a governor-general in the countries outside the United Kingdom.

• United Kingdom: the realm where the monarch resides.
• Canada: a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.
• Australia: the Crown represented by a governor-general.
• New Zealand: including its associated territories.
• Jamaica: a Caribbean realm now debating a move to a republic.
• The Bahamas: an archipelagic Commonwealth realm.
• Belize: the only mainland Central American realm.
• Papua New Guinea: the most populous Pacific realm.
• Solomon Islands, Tuvalu: Pacific island realms.
• Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada: five eastern Caribbean realms.

Barbados was the most recent realm to leave this group, becoming a republic in November 2021 while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

European Monarchies

Europe is home to ten monarchies beyond the United Kingdom, nearly all of them constitutional.

• Spain: King Felipe VI, a parliamentary monarchy restored in 1975.
• Netherlands: King Willem-Alexander.
• Belgium: King Philippe.
• Sweden: King Carl XVI Gustaf, a purely ceremonial role.
• Norway: King Harald V.
• Denmark: Queen Margrethe II abdicated in 2024 in favour of King Frederik X.
• Luxembourg: a grand duchy led by a grand duke.
• Liechtenstein: a principality whose prince retains unusually strong powers.
• Monaco: Prince Albert II governs this tiny principality.
• Andorra: a co-principality headed jointly by the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell.

Vatican City is sometimes added as an eleventh: it is an elective absolute monarchy in which the reigning Pope is sovereign.

Middle Eastern Monarchies

The Gulf and wider Middle East contain some of the world's few remaining monarchies with real governing power.

• Saudi Arabia: an absolute monarchy under the House of Saud.
• Oman: an absolute monarchy led by a sultan.
• Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain: emirates with varying degrees of parliamentary involvement.
• United Arab Emirates: a federation of seven emirates whose rulers elect a president.
• Jordan: a constitutional monarchy under King Abdullah II.
• Morocco: a constitutional monarchy where the king retains substantial authority.

Asian and African Monarchies

• Japan: Emperor Naruhito holds the world's oldest continuous hereditary throne, now purely ceremonial.
• Thailand: a constitutional monarchy revered by many citizens.
• Bhutan: a constitutional monarchy since 2008.
• Cambodia: an elective constitutional monarchy.
• Brunei: an absolute monarchy ruled by a sultan.
• Malaysia: a unique elective monarchy where nine royal households rotate the throne every five years.
• Eswatini: Africa's last absolute monarchy, ruled by King Mswati III.
• Lesotho: a constitutional monarchy encircled by South Africa.

Constitutional Versus Absolute Monarchy

The overwhelming majority of today's monarchies are constitutional, meaning the monarch is a symbolic head of state while elected governments hold real power. Britain, Japan, Sweden, and Spain are classic examples. A much smaller group are absolute monarchies, where the ruler exercises genuine executive control: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Brunei, Eswatini, and Vatican City are the clearest cases, with Qatar and the UAE sitting somewhere in between. Malaysia and the UAE are also notable as elective monarchies, in which a group of hereditary rulers chooses one of their number to reign.

Good to Know

How many countries have a monarch?

Around 43 sovereign states have a monarch as head of state, though the exact number varies depending on whether you count Vatican City and how you treat the shared Commonwealth crown.

How many countries share King Charles III?

King Charles III is head of state of 15 Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. Each is a fully independent country.

Which countries are absolute monarchies?

Saudi Arabia, Oman, Brunei, Eswatini, and Vatican City are generally classed as absolute monarchies, where the monarch holds real governing power rather than a purely ceremonial role.