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(#11) Morocco
- Rabat
King Mohammed VI of Morocco is considered inviolable and near-holy. In April 2017, he created a new coalition government that contained a lot of his own supporters. The palace denied that that the King took undue power, but he's nevertheless a controversial figure - there's a history of him restricting freedom of the press.
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(#9) Thailand
- Bangkok
In 2016, a new ruler, King Vajiralongkorn, came to the throne in Thailand. Unlike his father, who was revered for his near-saintly status, the young King has taken a lot of military power from the get-go. The new constitution that the King signed gave him choice of a regent, the ability to dissolve his parliament, and legislative powers the throne hadn't had in years. The King has also ousted a lot of old palace officials and put his own favorites in, even arresting some past critics.
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(#3) Oman
- Muscat
At the southwestern tip of the Saudi peninsula sits the tiny nation of Oman, ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Since ascending to power in a coup in 1970, Sultan Qaboos, as he is popularly known, has led Oman into the modern era. He has massively improved the country's GDP and is known as a determined peace-keeper. The Sultan holds pretty much every major political role himself, but remains a mysterious, little-seen presence.
The succession to the sultanate is up in the air. The Sultan has left the decision to a council, with his own preference - written in an envelope - only to be revealed if they can't decide on a successor.
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(#4) Monaco
The tiny principality of Monaco is ruled by Prince Albert II, a member of the famed Grimaldi family and the son of Hollywood luminary Grace Kelly. Monaco is one of the few countries in Europe where the monarch plays a regular role in politics. Prince Albert is also amongst the world's richest royals, with a net worth estimated about $1 billion. But he's had his fair share of scandals - he allegedly assaulted a woman, ducked out of paying his bills, and has accepted bribes.
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(#13) United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi
The seven tiny nations making up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are each ruled by a powerful monarch who remains at the head of very top-down governments. As a New York Times article noted:
"The emirates remain an absolute monarchy, where institutions are far less important than royalty and where the law is particularly capricious - applied differently based on social standing, religion and nationality, political experts and human rights advocates said."
UAE rulers have been caught up in their fair share of scandals as well, from shady political dealings to human rights violations.
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(#2) Vatican City
- Vatican City
Vatican City might be tiny, but it's powerful. The smallest independent state in the entire world, the 100-acre area has its own currency, its own monarch - the Pope - and its own flag. Technically, Vatican City isn't even part of Italy, and the Holy Father, the last absolute monarch in Europe, has authority over everyone and everything in his jurisdiction.
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About This Tool
We all know that in the development of human society, the monarchs with supreme power have appeared. Although most feudal countries have changed, the monarch no longer has actual power, such as the British constitutional monarchy. But so far, there are still a number of modern countries in the world with monarchs, it is not a constitutional system, but the monarch has absolute real power.
Do you know which countries in the world still retain monarchs who wield real power? They are some of the royal family that lasted for hundreds of years, you will find random 13 monarchs in modern countries here, the random tool shows some basic information about them, such as Oman, Monaco, Brunei, etc.
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