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Countries with Royal Families 2023

The term "royal family" refers to the immediate family of a monarch (usually a king or queen) who leads a nation in a monarchy government. Monarchy countries have royal families. Traditionally, the royal family includes the ruling monarch, their spouse, their children and grandchildren, any still-living parents, their siblings, and their paternal cousins. Spouses of all immediate family members are also included in the royal family. In addition, aunts, uncles, great-grandchildren (as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II now has), and other descendants may also be considered part of the royal family.

Royal families of the world

Of the 26 monarchies around the world, 12 are in Europe and 10 of those 12 are led by a royal family. This includes well-known royal families such as the Windsors in the United Kingdom and the Grimaldi's in Monaco. However, monarchies in Africa and Asia also have notable royal families, many of whom have captivating stories. For example, Japan's current Emperor Emeritus Akihito broke 2,600 years of tradition in 1959 by marrying his beloved, a commoner named Michiko Shōda, instead of choosing an aristocratic bride from the approved social group. More recently, his granddaughter Princess Mako followed his example and gave up her royal status completely so she could marry the man she loved. Another royal family worthy of mention is Bhutan's photogenic Wangchuck family: King Jihme Singye, Queen Jetsun Pema, and the young princes Jigme Namgyel and Jigme Ugyen, who frequently charm the internet at large via annual calendar appearances and the queen's Instagram account.

List of current royal families in Europe:

  • The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gothas - Belgium (King Philippe)
  • The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg - Denmark (Queen Margrethe II)
  • The House of Liechtenstein - Liechtenstein (Prince Hans-Adam II)
  • The House of Luxembourg-Nassau - Luxembourg (Grand Duke Henri)
  • The House of Grimaldi - Monaco (Prince Albert II)
  • The House of Orange-Nassau - Netherlands (King Willem-Alexander)
  • The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg - Norway - (King Harald V)
  • The House of Borbón-Anjou - Spain (King Felipe VI)
  • The House of Bernadotte - Sweden (King Carl XVI Gustaf)
  • The House of Windsor - United Kingdom (King Charles III)

Which royal family rules over the largest kingdom?

It's a little-known fact in many countries that The Windsor family, arguably the most well-known royal family globally, is the ruling family of far more than just the United Kingdom. In fact, the British monarch technically also presides over 15 other countries spread all over the world, including Canada, the Bahamas, and Australia. These countries were all subjected to British rule at one point or another in their history, and although all are now independent sovereign nations, they still maintain at least a ceremonial connection to the British monarchy.

16 countries that consider King Charles III their king:

  1. United Kingdom
  2. Antigua and Barbuda
  3. Australia
  4. Bahamas
  5. Barbados
  6. Belize
  7. Canada
  8. Grenada
  9. Jamaica
  10. New Zealand
  11. Papua New Guinea
  12. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  13. Saint Lucia
  14. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  15. Solomon Islands
  16. Tuvalu

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Country
Royal Family
Current Monarch
Antigua and BarbudaWindsorKing Charles III
AustraliaWindsorKing Charles III
BahamasWindsorKing Charles III
BahrainAl KhalifaKing Hamad bin Isa
BelgiumSaxe-Coburg and GothaKing Philippe
BelizeWindsorKing Charles III
BhutanWangchuckKing Jigme Khesar Namgyel
CambodiaNorodomKing Norodom Sihamoni
CanadaWindsorKing Charles III
DenmarkGlücksburgQueen Margrethe II
EswatiniDlaminiKing Mswati III
GrenadaWindsorKing Charles III
JamaicaWindsorKing Charles III
JapanYamatoEmperor Naruhito
JordanHāshimKing Abdullah II
KuwaitAl SabahEmir Nawaf Al-Ahmad
LesothoMosheshKing Letsie III
LuxembourgLuxembourg-NassauGrand Duke Henri
MalaysiaBendaharaKing Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah
MonacoGrimaldiSovereign Prince Albert II
MoroccoAlawiKing Mohammed VI
NetherlandsOrange-NassauKing Willem-Alexander
New ZealandWindsorKing Charles III
NorwayGlücksburgKing Harald V
OmanAl SaidSultan Haitham bin Tariq
Papua New GuineaWindsorKing Charles III
QatarAl ThaniEmir Tamim bin Hamad
Saint Kitts and NevisWindsorKing Charles III
Saint LuciaWindsorKing Charles III
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesWindsorKing Charles III
Saudi ArabiaAl SaudKing Salman bin Abdulaziz
Solomon IslandsWindsorKing Charles III
SpainBorbón-AnjouKing Felipe VI
SwedenBernadotteKing Carl XVI Gustaf
ThailandChakriKing Vajiralongkorn
TongaTupouKing Tupou VI
TuvaluWindsorKing Charles III
United KingdomWindsorKing Charles III
showing: 38 rows

How many countries still have royal families?

Twenty-six countries in the world are monarchies, meaning all of these countries have royal families.

Which countries have royal families?

The following countries have royal families: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Eswatini, Grenada, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, the Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

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