In Europe there are still 12 countries that still have royal families, they usually inherit the title but two of Europe’s royalties were based on a public vote.
Monarchies are divided in three parts, principality, kingdom or duchy. When a prince and/or a princess rule a country it is known as a principality country, for example Andorra. The United Kingdom as it suggests in the name is a kingdom country, this type of monarchy is ruled by a king and/or a queen.
While a duchy is a dominion or region ruled by a duke or duchess, such as Kate Middleton, who is the Duchess of Cambridge.
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Who are the 12 royal families of Europe? Here’s what we know about them, MyLondon reports.
British monarch
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state and sovereign of the UK and its overseas territories. The Queen, is the longest-serving British monarch. She is the source of legislative and executive power. However, despite the royal family’s constitutional monarchy status, actual political decisions are exercised by the British Parliament and not by a singular person. The monarch has limited constitutional duties such as the appointment of the prime minister, the approval of parliamentary legislation and official appointments, representational duties as head of state, paying state visits and receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors.
Spanish monarch
Spain is ruled by King Felipe VI, he was crowned and became king in 2014 after his father King Juan Carlos I abdicated. King Felipe VI was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Barcelona Games in 1992. He joined a list of family Olympians as his father and sister were also Olympic sailors for Spain. As monarch, King Felipe VI is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces, he has a military rank of Captain General. The King and his wife Queen Letizia have two daughters Leonor Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain.
Andorra monarch
Andorra is a small independent country situated between France and Spain among the southern peaks of the Pyrenees Mountains has an interesting monarch. Since 1278 AD, the small state has been ruled by co-princes. Today, the bishop of Urgell Joan Enric Vives Sicília, and the president of France Emmanuel Macron serve as Andorra's co-princes. Each co-prince appoints a representative since the princes don't live in Andorra. Patrick Strzoda is currently representing the French co-prince while Josep Maria Mauri is representing the Episcopal co-prince. Andorra is one of the two monarchies that do not inherit the throne.
Belgian monarch
Belgium is ruled by King Phillipe after his father King Albert II of the House of Belgium abdicated in 2013. A former officer in the army King Phillipe is now a General of the Belgian army for both air and ground forces. The King attended the University of Oxford to study Politics, he then married Queen Mathilde in 1999, the pair have four children together: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore.
Danish monarch
Queen Margrethe II is the head of state in Denmark, her heritage can be traced back more than a thousand years making the Danish monarch one of the oldest in the world. Her son Crown Prince Frederik is the next in line to the throne and Prince Frederik’s son Christian inherit the throne after him. Unlike the British royal family, children of the Danish royal family attend public schools, and adult members of the family are often seen shopping and dining in public. Greenland and the Faroe Islands also form the Kingdom of Denmark.
Liechtenstein monarch
Liechtenstein is located between Austria and Switzerland is a constitutional monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis. Alois is the Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein and he does not receive a salary but rather an annual allowance of 250,000 Swiss francs. The people of Liechtenstein are the second sovereign, which means they can express their lack of confidence in the Reigning Prince or decide to abolish the monarchy at any point.
Luxembourg monarch
Luxembourg is run by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri, who is the first cousin of King Philippe of Belgium and the eldest son of Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. The Grand Duke was crowned in 2000 after his father abdicated. In 2019 he was believed to have a net worth of around $4bn (£3.2bn). He also doesn’t receive a salary but the ducal family receives 300,000 gold francs for functions.
Monaco monarch
Albert II is the sovereign prince of Monaco, he is also the son of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III. In honour of his mum, who died in 1982 from injuries sustained in a car crash, he helped establish the Princess Grace Awards in 1984 to recognize emerging performers in film, theatre, and dance. Monaco has a prince rather than a king because of Monaco’s size. In a tradition that goes back centuries, smaller principalities are ruled by a prince or princess.
Dutch monarch
Willem-Alexander is the King of the Netherlands and has been the King since April 2013. The monarch himself has limited power. Although he has immunity, the real power lies within the ministers. The royal family remains neutral and does not make any decisions about political topics. The King is married to Queen Maxima and they have three daughters: Princess Catharina-Amalia (the Princess of Orange), Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.
Norwegian monarch
Norway is currently run by King Harald V, who has reigned since 1991. His only son Crown Prince Haakon is next in line. The King’s duties are mainly representative and ceremonial, therefore the legislative and executive powers lie within the country’s elected political bodies.A very long time ago in 1380 Norway and Denmark were merged under a single monarch, but now they are under two different monarchs. Their union was dissolved in 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars.
Swedish monarch
Sweden is ruled by King Carl XVI Gustaf, the remaining royal family members are Queen Silvia and their three children Crown Princess Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée, Duchess of Västergötland, Prince Carl Philip Edmund, Duke of Värmland, and Princess Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland.
The royal family status extends to the children’s children and spouses but Princess Madeleine’s husband declined a royal title and is not officially recognised in the royal family. The Swedish royal family’s role is mainly ceremonial and they don’t have much say in political decisions.
Vatican monarch
Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican. Pope Francis has authority with no restriction from legislature, laws or custom. The Vatican has a population of around 1,000 people and it’s the second European country without a hereditary monarchy. It operates as an elective monarchy because of the oath of celibacy Catholic priests take on the pathway to becoming a pope. Another key difference between the Vatican and other countries is it has no taxes, no restrictions on imports or exports.
