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List of current monarchs of sovereign states

None

None

  • 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 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.

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

TitleMonarchPortraitArms or emblemSovereign state(s)Since
(Length)HouseTypeHeir to the throne
Co-PrinceJosep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat[[File:JLSerranoP.jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of Arms of the high authorities of Andorra.svgcenter58x58px]]Andorra
()rowspan="2"CeremonialEx officio
Emmanuel Macron[[File:Emmanuel Macron August 2024.jpg80x100px]]
()
KingCharles III[[File:King Charles III (July 2023).jpg80x100px]][[File:Antigua and Barbuda Coat of Arms.svgcenter59x59px]]Antigua and Barbuda
()WindsorCeremonialWilliam, Prince of Wales
[[File:Coat of Arms of Australia.svgcenter50x50px]]Australia
[[File:Coat of Arms of The Bahamas.svgcenter60x60px]]The Bahamas
[[File:Coat of arms of Belize.svgcenter49x49px]]Belize
[[File:Coat of arms of Canada (2022-).pngcenter56x56px]]Canada
[[File:Coat of arms of Grenada.svgcenter50x50px]]Grenada
[[File:Coat of arms of Jamaica.svgcenter51x51px]]Jamaica
[[File:Coat of arms of New Zealand.svgcenter50x50px]]Realm of New Zealand
[[File:National emblem of Papua New Guinea.svgcenter50x50px]]Papua New Guinea
[[File:Coat of Arms of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svgcenter56x56px]]Saint Kitts and Nevis
[[File:Coat of arms of Saint Lucia.svgcenter50x50px]]Saint Lucia
[[File:Coat of arms of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svgcenter70x70px]]Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
[[File:Coat of arms of the Solomon Islands.svgcenter60x60px]]Solomon Islands
[[File:Coat of arms of Tuvalu.svgcenter52x52px]]Tuvalu
[[File:Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, variant 2).svgcenter50x50px]]United Kingdom
KingHamad bin Isa Al Khalifa[[File:King Hamed bin Issa of Bahrain, May 2017 (3x4 cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of Arms of The Kingdom of Bahrain.svgcenter53x53px]]Bahrain
()ExecutiveSalman, Crown Prince of Bahrain
KingPhilippe[[File:Sergio Mattarella and Belgian King Philippe at Quirinale in 2021 (3x4 cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of Arms of the King of the Belgians.svgcenter61x61px]]Belgium
()CeremonialElisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, Princess of Belgium
KingJigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck[[File:Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at the Enthronement of Naruhito.jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem_of_Bhutan.svgcenter61x61px]]Bhutan
()ExecutiveJigme Namgyel
SultanHassanal Bolkiah[[File:His Majesty Bolkiah 20231216.jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem of Brunei.svgcenter63x63px]]Brunei
()AbsoluteAl-Muhtadee Billah
KingNorodom Sihamoni[[File:King Norodom Sihamoni (2019).jpg80x100px]][[File:Royal arms of Cambodia.svg64x64pxcenter]]Cambodia
()CeremonialHereditary and elective
KingFrederik X[[File:King Frederik X in 2025.jpg80x100px]][[File:Royal coat of arms of Denmark_(2024).svgcenter64x64px]]Kingdom of Denmark
()CeremonialChristian, Crown Prince of Denmark
KingMswati III[[File:Mswati III in Yokohama (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Eswatini.svg99x99pxcenter]]Eswatini
()AbsoluteHereditary and elective
Queen MotherNtfombi[[File:Ntombi Tfwala 20160607.jpg99x99pxcenter]]
()
EmperorNaruhito[[File:Emperor Naruhito 201905 (cropped 2).jpg80x100px]][[File:Imperial Seal of Japan.svgcenter50x50px]]Japan
()CeremonialFumihito, Prince Akishino (Heir presumptive)
KingAbdullah II[[File:King Abdullah II (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Jordan.svg87x87pxcenter]]Jordan
()ExecutiveHereditary and elective (presumably Hussein bin Abdullah)
EmirMishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah[[File:Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem of Kuwait.svgcenter70x70px]]Kuwait
()ExecutiveHereditary and elective (presumably Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah)
KingLetsie III[[File:King Letsie III at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Lesotho.svgcenter65x65px]]Lesotho
()CeremonialLerotholi Seeiso
PrinceHans-Adam II[[File:Ιωάννης Αδάμ Β΄ του Λίχτενσταϊν.jpg80x100px]][[File:Staatswappen-Liechtensteins.svgcenter63x63px]]Liechtenstein
()ExecutiveAlois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein (currently Prince Regent)
Grand DukeGuillaume V[[File:Guillaume Trounwiessel Uniform (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Greater coat of arms of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg (2000).svgcenter59x59px]]Luxembourg
()CeremonialPrince Charles of Luxembourg
KingSultan Ibrahim[[File:King Ibrahim of Malaysia August 2025.jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg83x83pxcenter]]Malaysia
()Ceremonial & FederalElective (presumably Sultan Nazrin Shah)
PrinceAlbert II[[File:Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Enthronement of Naruhito (3x4 cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Great coat of arms of the house of Grimaldi.svgcenter60x60px]]Monaco
()ExecutiveJacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco
KingMohammed VI[[File:Pedro Sánchez se reúne con el rey de Marruecos, Mohamed VI (1) (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Morocco.svg63x63pxcenter]]Morocco
()ExecutiveMoulay Hassan, Crown Prince of Morocco
KingWillem-Alexander[[File:Zijne Majesteit Koning Willem-Alexander met koningsmantel april 2013 (cropped).jpeg80x100px]][[File:Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands.svgcenter63x63px]]Kingdom of the Netherlands
()CeremonialCatharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
KingHarald V[[File:King Harald V of Norway (29227859394) (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Greater royal coat of arms of Norway.svgcenter57x57px]]Norway
()CeremonialHaakon, Crown Prince of Norway
SultanHaitham bin Tariq[[File:Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (3x4 cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:National emblem of Oman.svg78x78pxcenter]]Oman
()AbsoluteTheyazin bin Haitham
EmirTamim bin Hamad Al Thani[[File:تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني (49759678641) (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem of Qatar-2022.svg59x59pxcenter]]Qatar
()ExecutiveAbdullah bin Hamad
KingSalman[[File:الصورة الرسمية لخادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك سلمان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود.jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem of Saudi Arabia.svg69x69pxcenter]]Saudi Arabia
()AbsoluteMohammed bin Salman
KingFelipe VI[[File:Felipe VI in 2023.jpg80x100px]][[File:Coat of Arms of Spanish Monarch.svgcenter64x64px]]Spain
()CeremonialLeonor, Princess of Asturias (Heir presumptive)
KingCarl XVI Gustaf[[File:Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden 2018 (42282165922) (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Great coat of arms of Sweden.svgcenter61x61px]]Sweden
()CeremonialVictoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
KingRama X, Vajiralongkorn[[File:King Rama X official (crop) (cropped).png80x100px]][[File:Emblem of Thailand.svg64x64pxcenter]]Thailand
()CeremonialDipangkorn Rasmijoti (Heir presumptive)
KingTupou VI[[File:Dinner for His Majesty King Tupou VI of the Kingdom of Tonga and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u 04.jpg80x100px]][[File:Tongan coat of arms.svgcenter74x74px]]Tonga
()ExecutiveTupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
PresidentMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan[[File:Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan - 2024 (cropped).jpg80x100px]][[File:Emblem of the United Arab Emirates.svgcenter69x69px]]United Arab Emirates
()Executive & FederalHereditary and elective (presumably Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan)
PopeLeo XIV[[File:Pope Leo XIV 2025 (cropped).png80x100px]][[File:Coat of arms of Leone XIV.svgcenter57x57px]]Vatican City (Holy See)
()AbsoluteElective

Notes

References

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