13 Royal Families Around the World That Aren’t the British Monarchy
Apr 10, 2018
We talk a lot about Queen Elizabeth II and her brood — particularly Prince William, Duchess Kate, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle — but they're obviously not the only royal family in the world. In fact, there are a couple dozen other monarchies around the globe. Click through to see some of the many kings, queens, princes, princesses, emperors, emirs, and sultans who (literally) rule the world.
The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg: Reigning Grand Duke Henri and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, have five children ranging in age from 25 to 36: Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke, married to Princess Stephanie; Prince Felix, who has two kids with his wife, Princess Claire; Prince Louis, who has two kids with his estranged wife, Tessy Anthony; Princess Alexandra, the only daughter; and Prince Sébastien. (Photo via Mark Renders/Getty Images)
Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg: Prince Guillaume, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, is first in line to accede to the throne, which is currently held by his father, Grand Duke Henri. Prince Guillaume married Stephanie de Lannoy, a Belgian Countess who became Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg, on October 20, 2012. (Photo via Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
Prince Felix and Princess Claire of Luxembourg: Prince Felix is the second child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. He and his wife, Princess Claire of Luxembourg — seen here after their wedding ceremony at the Basilique Sainte Marie-Madeleine on September 21, 2013 in Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume, France — have one daughter, Princess Amalia, and one son, Prince Liam. (Photo via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The Imperial Family of Japan: This official photo from 2010 shows Japan's imperial family, led by Emperor Akihito, who succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1989 and will abdicate in April 2019, and his wife, Empress Michiko. Surrounding the pair (from left to right) are Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Princess Mako, Princess Aiko, Princess Kako, Prince Akishino, Prince Hisahito, and Princess Kiko. (Photo via Kurita Kaku/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan: Prince Akishino, the second son of Emperor Akihito, has three children with his wife, Princess Kiko: Princess Mako, Princess Kako, and Prince Hisahito, seen here on the day of Prince Hisahito's rite of passage as a member of the royal family on November 3, 2011. The family wore traditional attire for the Chakko-no-Gi and Fukasogi-no-gi ceremonies at the Akasaka imperial estate in Tokyo. (Photo via Issei Kato/AFP/Getty Images)
Princess Mako of Japan: Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, announced her engagement to Kei Komuro on September 3, 2017. Because he is a commoner, the princess would be forced to give up her title to marry Komuro. But in February 2018, the two postponed their marriage until at least 2020, so they can take more time to mature before making such a big commitment. (Photo via Shizuo Kambayashi/AFP/Getty Images)
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands: King Willem Alexander, the eldest son of former Queen Beatrix, was crowned the ruler of the Netherlands on April 30, 2013. (Photo via Jasper Juinen - Pool /Getty Images)
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands: King Willem Alexander assumed the throne from his mother, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. On April 30, 2013 — the day of her abdication and his inauguration — he appeared on the balcony of the royal palace to greet the public with his wife, Queen Maxima, and their daughters, Princess Catharina Amalia, Princess Ariane, and Princess Alexia. (Photo via Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images)
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium: King Philippe acceded to the throne on July 21, 2013, following King Albert II's abdication. This photo from his inauguration shows the king and queen with their four children, Princess Eleonore, Prince Gabriel, Princess Elisabeth, and Prince Emmanuel, on the balcony of the royal palace in Brussels. (Photo via Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden: King Carl Gustaf, whose role is mostly ceremonial, has held the throne since 1973. He and his wife, Queen Silvia — seen here in some serious royal bling at the 2010 wedding of their eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, to Daniel Westling — have been married since 1976. (Photo via Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
The Royal Family of Sweden: King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia have three children: Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine. All five royals and their significant others attended a reception for Crown Princess Victoria's 40th birthday on July 14, 2017. From left to right: Princess Madeleine and her husband, Christopher O'Neill; Queen Silvia; Crown Princess Victoria's husband, Prince Daniel, and their children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar; Crown Princess Victoria herself; King Carl Gustaf; Prince Carl Philip's wife, Princess Sofia (pregnant with Prince Gabriel at the time), and their eldest son, Prince Alexander; and Prince Carl Philip. (Photo via Christine Olsson/AFP/Getty Images)
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden: Crown Princess Victoria — seen here at the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, 2017 — is first in line to the throne, which is currently held by her father, King Carl Gustaf. (Photo via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Frederik, and Prince Joachim of Denmark: Queen Margrethe II has reigned since 1972, but she'll eventually abdicate the throne to her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik. He and his brother, Prince Joachim, joined their mother on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace to greet the public in honor of her 75th birthday on April 16, 2015. (Photo via Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)
King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco: King Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999, after the death of his father, King Hassan II. He and his wife, Princess Lalla Salma — the princess consort of Morocco and the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to be publicly acknowledged and given a royal title —married in 2001 and have two children, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Princess Lalla Khadija. (Photo via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan: King Abdullah and Queen Rania have four children together, Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma, and Prince Hashem. They're pictured here with their eldest son and Princess Salma at the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman, Jordan, on June 2, 2016. (Photo via Royal Hashemite Court via Getty Images)
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain: King Felipe VI — the youngest of three children but the only son — is a relatively new king, having ascended to the throne in 2014 upon the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos I. He married his wife, former TV journalist Letizia Ortiz, in 2004. (Photo by Borja Benito - Pool/Getty Images)
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain:The Spanish royals certainly summer in style. In 2017, King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, took their two children, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia, to the Marivent Palace in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (Photo via Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco: Prince Albert II is the reigning head of the princely house of Grimaldi in Monaco. He and his wife, Princess Charlene — seen here at Monaco Palace in 2013 — have two children, Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques; he also has two children from other relationships. (Photo via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Princess Stephanie, Princess Charlene, Prince Albert II, and Princess Caroline of Monaco: Prince Albert II is one of three children, along with his sisters, Princess Stephanie and Princess Caroline, born to Prince Rainier III and actress Grace Kelly. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/AFP/Getty Images)
Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie-Aglae of Liechtenstein: Prince Hans-Adam II has been the reigning head of the House of Liechtenstein since 1989. He and his wife, Princess Marie-Aglae, have four children — Hereditary Prince Alois, Prince Maximilian, Prince Constantin, and Princess Tatjana — and 15 grandchildren. (Photo via Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein: Prince Alois, the apparent heir to the throne, has four children with his wife, Princess Sophie (formerly a princess of Bavaria). This photo of them was taken on April 29, 2013, when they attended a dinner hosted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands ahead of the monarch's abdication. (Photo via Robin Utrecht/Pool/Getty Images)
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan: His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married his bride, Queen Jetsun Pema, on October 13, 2011 in Punakha, Bhutan. The lavish ceremony was followed by a celebration in both the capital and countryside. (Photo via Triston Yeo/Getty Images)
King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway: When King Harald V took the throne in 1991, his son, Crown Prince Haakon, become the heir apparent. Prince Haakon and his wife, Princess Mette-Marit, have two children together, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, who are second and third in line to the throne, respectively. King Harald V and Queen Sonja also have a daughter, Princess Martha Louise, who is older than Crown Prince Haakon but fourth in the line of succession. (Photo via Jørgen Gomnæs, the Royal Court via Getty Images)