Find out which countries still have monarchies in place

After the death of Elizabeth II, aged 96, Charles III is the new King of the United Kingdom. The British monarchy is one of the best known in the world, but it is far from the only one: 42 countries still have monarchs as head of state.

However, not all of them have the same power, as some are de facto rulers, while others are figures of a purely symbolic nature.

Ten countries have a ruling monarch, most of them in the Middle East. the royal family of Saudi Arabia for example, has held power since the kingdom was founded in 1935. The son of the first king is still on the throne.

Morocco , Jordan , Oman , Kuwait , Qatar , United Arab Emirates and Bahrain they also have ruling monarchs. Further afield, the tiny Asian nation of Brunei has a sultan, while King Mswati III rules the swaziland in Africa.

And there’s also a monarch that might not immediately spring to mind: Pope Francis.

Sovereigns with some power

On the other hand, several countries have monarchs with some power, but who do not govern alone. King Maha Vajiralongkorn of thailand falls into this category.

Also King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan , a small country in the Himalayas, has been on the throne for over 20 years. He and his wife, the Queen, Jetsun Pema, made headlines in 2016 when Prince William and his wife Catherine visited during their trip to Asia.

The European principalities of monaco and liechtenstein and the Pacific nation of tonga also have monarchs with some executive authority.

Sovereigns with no real power

Most monarchs in Europe and the Emperor of Japan they are essentially heads of state in name only, appearing on ceremonial occasions but with no real power.

the kingdoms of Belgium , Spain , Sweden , Norway , Netherlands the queen of Denmark and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg they are all titles. There are also the co-princes of Andorra .

King Letsie III of the Lesotho a small nation situated in South Africa, is also a symbolic figure, as is King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia and Sultan Abdullah of Pahang of Malaysia .

And the case of Great Britain

Charles III is now head of state of not just the United Kingdom, but 14 other Commonwealth realms, including Australia and Canada . He will also become the head of the 56-nation bloc, but this is not a hereditary role: country leaders agreed in 2018 that he would be the successor when Elizabeth II died.