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European Royal Families Today: The 12 Monarchies Still Reigning (2026)

After the First World War most European monarchies were abolished [1]. As of 2026, twelve sovereign monarchies remain in Europe [1]:

• Seven kingdoms: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom
• Three principalities: Andorra, Liechtenstein and Monaco
• One grand duchy: Luxembourg
• One elective theocracy: Vatican City [1]

Every European Monarchy at a Glance (as of 1 November 2026)

Andorra: the Govern d'Andorra and the Bishopric of Urgell both state that Serrano Pentinat became Co-Prince on 31 May 2025, when the Pope accepted Archbishop Vives's resignation [15][18]. The Élysée confirms that Macron's first term began on 14 May 2017 [19].

Houses and the "heir presumptive" wording come from [1]. Heirs: the UK heir is confirmed by royal.uk's succession list [3], and Monaco's by the Prince's Palace [17]. Norway, Spain and Sweden were confirmed through each court's official pages as summarised by search [2][12][13]. Reign dates were confirmed on each court's official site.

The Newest Monarch: Norway's Haakon VIII

King Harald V of Norway died on 28 August 2026. His son, the former Crown Prince Haakon, acceded at once as Haakon VIII, keeping the royal motto "All for Norway" [2][20]. He took his oath to the Constitution in the Storting on 1 September 2026 [2].

Old Thrones and Napoleonic Ones

The surviving monarchies fall into two groups [1]:

• Successors of premodern monarchies: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Andorra and Monaco.
• Monarchies created or made independent around the Napoleonic Wars: Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Vatican City was recognised as a sovereign state administered by the Holy See in 1929 [1].

How Much Power Do They Have?

Most are constitutional monarchies, where the monarch does not influence politics, whether by law or by convention [1]. The exceptions are Liechtenstein and Monaco, usually considered semi-constitutional because their princes keep substantial political influence, and Vatican City, an absolute monarchy [1]. Ten of the twelve are hereditary. Vatican City and Andorra are elective or semi-elective [1].

Six of the twelve are in the European Union: Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden [1].

Female Heirs

Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden all have a woman as heir apparent or heir presumptive [1]. Spain's Leonor is heir presumptive, not heir apparent, because a son born to the King would still take precedence under Spanish law [1].

Royal household websites

• United Kingdom: https://www.royal.uk/
• Norway: https://www.royalcourt.no/
• Denmark: https://www.kongehuset.dk/
• Sweden: https://www.kungahuset.se/
• Netherlands: https://www.royal-house.nl/
• Spain: https://www.casareal.es/
• Monaco: https://www.palais.mc/

Licence: contains material adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). This article is shared under the same licence. Primary-source material is summarised, not reproduced.