For thousands of years, mankind has had kings and queens to rule over the lands. In the last few centuries, royalty as fallen out of favor with most people. Many countries around the world have done away with the royal family, but there are still plenty left. Here are the top 17 royal families from across the world.
The British Royal Family
Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the Windsor family are the most famous royals in the world. They have made headlines repeatedly over the years with talk of scandals, marriages and faux pas in front of the cameras. The Windsor family story has been transformed into various movies over the years. The latest movie, “A Royal Night Out” shares the story of how Elizabeth celebrated VE day with the rest of the nation. These days it’s the rest of the family that are making new stories. Prince William got married to Kate Middleton and announced the two pregnancies that followed. The world media went into meltdown with this information. But now we have Prince George and Princess Charlotte to add to the British Royals.
The Royal Family of Brunei
The head of this royal family is Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, or Hassanal Bolkiah the 29th Sultan of Brunei. He is more than just the Sultan (and a long name). The sultan is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world with a personal value of $20 billion. The next in line to the throne is his son Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah Ibni Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah. The Sultan was given an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992. He currently lives with his third wife and some of the family in Istana Nurul Iman palace. The palace is considered the biggest private residence in the world with over 1,500 rooms and over 250 bathrooms.
The Royal family of Saudi Arabia
The ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia has thousands of members, all descendants of Muhammad bin Saud. The current head of the family is King Salman who holds complete political power in Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, is next in line for the throne. King Salman is estimated to be worth approximately $18 billion. Despite the family having around 15,000 members, only 2,000 members have control over the power and the wealth. Most of the family’s wealth comes from the country’s oil reserves. Since the Royal family is large, future kings will be chosen by a committee of Saudi princes instead of being hereditary.
Jordan’s Royal Family
King Abdullah II of Jordan came to the throne after the death of his father in 1999. He ranked as one of the top five most influential Muslims in the world. The Crown Prince is his son, Prince Hussein, is the next in line to the throne. Jordan has its own Prime Minister, but the King still has plenty of political power in the country. King Abdullah has been working on bringing nuclear power to the country in recent years. Jordan has no oil supply and has to rely on Iraq for its supply. Since the King came into power, he has worked on bringing Jordan into the modern age.
Vatican City
It might be hard to get your head around this, but the Vatican is an independent country from Italy. It has its own laws, taxes and is the smallest internationally recognized state. The head of state is the Pope who chosen by a council on the death or abdication of the previous Pope. The Vatican is walled and has many gardens which make up most of the state. The Vatican pre-dates Christianity but has been used by the Catholic Church since its formation. The current head of state is Pope Francis who oversees the ruling of the Catholic Church. The Pope has only religious powers but is seen as a great influence in international politics. The Vatican might not have a royal family in the traditional sense. But according to the Catholic Church, we are all the children of God. Therefore we are all members of this royal family.
