Meet the World's Strongest Ruling Monarchs
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BY MARK HAY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Defence Images
In most of the world, when you say “The Queen” everyone instinctively knows that you’re talking about the United Kingdom’s Elizabeth II. Although a largely ceremonial monarch (who rules in name only over 16 nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom), all former British imperial possessions), the Queen is perhaps the world’s last great face of monarchy, plastered all over the press and beloved by millions of subjects and non-subjects alike. But we often forget that she is not the world’s only monarch. There are still 29 ruling monarchs in the world (although not all are hereditary), representing the heads of state of 44 nations collectively. And while many of these kings and queens don’t have much real power (and haven’t for generations), a handful are still quite potent political forces.
It’s hard to rank which of these truly reigning monarchs are the most powerful relative to each other. Each one has varied levels of checks and balances against them, offsetting each other. And each one commands vastly different sets of resources. So in the name of getting to know the world’s last truly (if questionably) great royal families, we present here a brief alphabetical list of the countries ruled by discrete royal families and a summary of the families’ scions and powers.
15. The Vatican
Ruled by the ecclesiastically elected but absolute theological monarch, the Pope, since it was created in 1929 as a successor nation to the medieval Papal States, the region is under almost complete religious regime control, but is so small that no one really cares.
None of these rulers are as buck-wild and authoritative as past monarchs. Some don’t even rival the power of dictators in ostensible democracies (e.g. Robert Mugabe). But a few houses, like that of the Omani or Saudi ruling family, are still shockingly powerful for the modern era’s standards. And it’s always shocking to recall just how many countries still have monarchs with more than figurehead positions, even if their powers are weak when viewed up close.
14. The United Arab Emirates
Although technically seven states all with their own emirs, Abu Dhabi’s al-Nahyan dynasty, in power there since 1793, has traditionally ruled this union, but the balance of emirs and local political system keeps the current Sheykh’s powers constrained a bit.
Image: Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
13. Tonga
Ruled by the house of Tupou since 1875 (and by traditional rulers much further back), Tonga’s king has a great deal of power and respect from the people, but has slowly ceded control of day-to-day affairs to the aggressive demands of a powerful pro-democracy activist force.
Image: King Tupou VI after his coronation ceremony, 2015
12. Thailand
Ruled by the Chakri dynasty since 1782, Thailand’s kings retain a great degree of deference from the people and have the power to veto legislation and issue legal pardons, but have increasingly become figureheads relative to the parliament and now the ruling military.
Image: King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Sirikit Kitiyakara at their wedding, 1950
11. Swaziland
Ruled since 1745 (and perhaps longer) by the house of Dlamini, the Swazi Ngwengyama, or king, has absolute rule, although he apparently often defers to a strong council of ministers and a fairly respected legislative assembly for most issues of national concern.
Image: Mswati III, incumbent king of Swaziland
10. Saudi Arabia
Ruled by the house of Saud since 1916, Saudi Arabia is perhaps the most notoriously power absolute monarchy of the modern era, with the massive ruling family directly controlling most posts of governmental importance, despite weak moves towards popular rule.
Image: King Salman bin Abdulaziz
9. Qatar
Ruled by the house of Thani since 1850, Qatar’s emirs technically have great control over all aspects of government, but have in the past few years started to ramp up the rule of independent legal systems and legislative bodies in the nation, limiting their own powers.
Image: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
8. Oman
Ruled by the al-Busaid dynasty since 1744, Oman’s sultan is shockingly powerful with no legislature to constrain him and direct control over much of the government. But the current sultan makes an effort to constrain himself through constant consultation and potent rule of law.
Image: Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Said
7. Monaco
Ruled since the 14th century by the house of Grimaldi, the prince here is perhaps the weakest monarch on this list, with the power to veto legislation and appoint a minister of sate, but only in consultation and cooperation with other more constitutional, representative forces.
Image: Prince Albert and Princess Charlene
6. Liechtenstein
Ruled since its formation in 1719 by the house of Liechtenstein, this tiny constitutional monarchy actually voted about a decade ago to increase the power of their once-neutered prince, giving him the ability to dissolve parliament and veto legislation at will.
Image: Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie
BY MARK HAY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Defence Images
In most of the world, when you say “The Queen” everyone instinctively knows that you’re talking about the United Kingdom’s Elizabeth II. Although a largely ceremonial monarch (who rules in name only over 16 nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom), all former British imperial possessions), the Queen is perhaps the world’s last great face of monarchy, plastered all over the press and beloved by millions of subjects and non-subjects alike. But we often forget that she is not the world’s only monarch. There are still 29 ruling monarchs in the world (although not all are hereditary), representing the heads of state of 44 nations collectively. And while many of these kings and queens don’t have much real power (and haven’t for generations), a handful are still quite potent political forces.
It’s hard to rank which of these truly reigning monarchs are the most powerful relative to each other. Each one has varied levels of checks and balances against them, offsetting each other. And each one commands vastly different sets of resources. So in the name of getting to know the world’s last truly (if questionably) great royal families, we present here a brief alphabetical list of the countries ruled by discrete royal families and a summary of the families’ scions and powers.
15. The Vatican
Ruled by the ecclesiastically elected but absolute theological monarch, the Pope, since it was created in 1929 as a successor nation to the medieval Papal States, the region is under almost complete religious regime control, but is so small that no one really cares.
None of these rulers are as buck-wild and authoritative as past monarchs. Some don’t even rival the power of dictators in ostensible democracies (e.g. Robert Mugabe). But a few houses, like that of the Omani or Saudi ruling family, are still shockingly powerful for the modern era’s standards. And it’s always shocking to recall just how many countries still have monarchs with more than figurehead positions, even if their powers are weak when viewed up close.
14. The United Arab Emirates
Although technically seven states all with their own emirs, Abu Dhabi’s al-Nahyan dynasty, in power there since 1793, has traditionally ruled this union, but the balance of emirs and local political system keeps the current Sheykh’s powers constrained a bit.
Image: Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
13. Tonga
Ruled by the house of Tupou since 1875 (and by traditional rulers much further back), Tonga’s king has a great deal of power and respect from the people, but has slowly ceded control of day-to-day affairs to the aggressive demands of a powerful pro-democracy activist force.
Image: King Tupou VI after his coronation ceremony, 2015
12. Thailand
Ruled by the Chakri dynasty since 1782, Thailand’s kings retain a great degree of deference from the people and have the power to veto legislation and issue legal pardons, but have increasingly become figureheads relative to the parliament and now the ruling military.
Image: King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Sirikit Kitiyakara at their wedding, 1950
11. Swaziland
Ruled since 1745 (and perhaps longer) by the house of Dlamini, the Swazi Ngwengyama, or king, has absolute rule, although he apparently often defers to a strong council of ministers and a fairly respected legislative assembly for most issues of national concern.
Image: Mswati III, incumbent king of Swaziland
10. Saudi Arabia
Ruled by the house of Saud since 1916, Saudi Arabia is perhaps the most notoriously power absolute monarchy of the modern era, with the massive ruling family directly controlling most posts of governmental importance, despite weak moves towards popular rule.
Image: King Salman bin Abdulaziz
9. Qatar
Ruled by the house of Thani since 1850, Qatar’s emirs technically have great control over all aspects of government, but have in the past few years started to ramp up the rule of independent legal systems and legislative bodies in the nation, limiting their own powers.
Image: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
8. Oman
Ruled by the al-Busaid dynasty since 1744, Oman’s sultan is shockingly powerful with no legislature to constrain him and direct control over much of the government. But the current sultan makes an effort to constrain himself through constant consultation and potent rule of law.
Image: Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Said
7. Monaco
Ruled since the 14th century by the house of Grimaldi, the prince here is perhaps the weakest monarch on this list, with the power to veto legislation and appoint a minister of sate, but only in consultation and cooperation with other more constitutional, representative forces.
Image: Prince Albert and Princess Charlene
6. Liechtenstein
Ruled since its formation in 1719 by the house of Liechtenstein, this tiny constitutional monarchy actually voted about a decade ago to increase the power of their once-neutered prince, giving him the ability to dissolve parliament and veto legislation at will.
Image: Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie
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5. Kuwait
Ruled by the al-Sabah family since 1752, this tiny emirate often flies under the radar of power politics and is technically a constitutional monarchy. But with similar powers to the King of Jordan, the Emir of Kuwait remains a functionally dominant and deciding political figure.
Image: Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait
4. Jordan
Ruled by the local Hashemite family since just 1921, Jordan’s king takes a fairly light touch and technically doesn’t control the government. But he does appoint the Prime Minister, have the power to dissolve parliament at will, and control a commanding legislative veto.
Image: King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3. Brunei
Ruled by a sultan since the 14th century, independent, modern Brunei continues to be one of the most absolutely monarchical nations on the earth, with the current sultan responsible for appointing the leaders of all ostensibly governing legislative, religious and legal bodies.
Top image: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Bottom Image: Queen Pengiran Anak Saleha
2. Bhutan
Ruled since 1907 by the house of Wangchuck, the Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King, of Bhutan is one of the last vestiges of traditional Tibetan absolute kingship, but since 2007 has drastically reduced his own power through a much lauded democratization campaign—launched unilaterally.
Image: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
1. Bahrain
Ruled by the al-Khalifa royal family since 1783, the heads of whom changed their titles from hakim to emir to, in 2002, king, this Sunni family dominates a mostly Shi’a island. They offer nominal concessions to representative rule, but crush democratic protests brutally.
Image: King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa
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Queen Elizabeth has the best jewelry.
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babelipsss wrote: »Queen Elizabeth has the best jewelry.
That she stole from Africa -
babelipsss wrote: »Queen Elizabeth has the best jewelry.
St Edward's Crown. The pearls were replaced with gold beads in 1911.
St Edward's Crown
The centrepiece of the coronation regalia is named after Edward the Confessor, and is placed on the monarch's head at the actual moment of crowning by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Made of gold in 1661, St Edward's Crown has four fleurs-de-lis and four crosses pattée with two arches on top. Surmounting the arches is a jewelled cross pattée. Its frame is embellished with 444 stones, including amethysts, garnets, peridots, rubies, sapphires, topazes, tourmalines and zircons. The crown is 30 cm (12 in) tall, and at a weight of 2.23 kg (5 lb) has been noted to be extremely heavy. Queen Elizabeth II opted to use a stylised image of this crown in coats of arms, badges, logos and various other insignia throughout the Commonwealth realms to symbolise her royal authority.
The version of the Imperial State Crown worn by George V in 1910
Imperial State Crown
A much lighter crown is worn by the newly crowned monarch when he or she leaves Westminster Abbey, and at the annual State Opening of Parliament. The current Imperial State Crown was made in 1937 for George VI and is a virtual copy of the one made in 1838 for Queen Victoria, which had fallen into a poor state of repair (the frame can be seen at the Tower of London). The crown was altered in 1953 when it was resized to fit Queen Elizabeth II and the arches were lowered by 2.5 cm (1 in) to give it a more feminine appearance. It is made of gold, silver and platinum, and has four crosses pattée and fleurs-de-lis, with two arches surmounted by a monde and cross pattée. The crown is decorated with 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. Three of the pearls are said to have belonged to Elizabeth I. Among the largest stones are the Black Prince's Ruby (a spinel) and the Cullinan II diamond.
Diamond Diadem
George IV's State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, was made in 1820 for George IV. Originally made for the king to wear over his cap of maintenance in the procession to his coronation, the diadem is now used by the Queen in procession to the annual State Opening of Parliament. It is decorated with 1,333 diamonds, including a 4-carat (1 g) yellow diamond in the front cross, and two strings of 169 pearls in total along its base. Its design features roses, thistles and shamrocks, the floral emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland respectively. The iconic piece of jewellery has appeared on Commonwealth coinage and Machin series stamps. When not in use, the diadem is on display in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
Consort crowns
The wives of kings – queens consort – traditionally wore the Crown of Mary of Modena, the wife of James II, who first wore it at their coronation in 1685. Originally set with 561 hired diamonds and 129 pearls, it is now set with crystals and cultured pearls for display in the Jewel House. By the 20th century, the crown was judged to be in a poor state of repair, so a new European-style crown, flatter and with more arches than traditional British crowns, was made for Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII, to wear at their coronation in 1902. It was the first crown to have the 105-carat (21 g) Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Queen Mary's Crown, unusual for a British crown in having eight half-arches instead of the traditional four, was manufactured by Garrard & Co. for the coronation of Queen Mary and George V in 1911. It contains 2,200 diamonds, and has contained the Koh-i-Noor, as well as Cullinan III and IV. In 1914, all three stones were replaced with crystal replicas and, at the same time, the arches were made detachable so it could be worn as a circlet or open crown. The crown has not been used since Queen Mary died in 1953.
The Queen Mother's Crown is a platinum crown made for Queen Elizabeth, the wife of George VI, to wear at their coronation in 1937. It was the first crown for a British king or queen to be made of platinum, and was modelled on Queen Mary's Crown, but has four half-arches instead of eight. Its arches are detachable at the crosses pattée, allowing it to be worn as a circlet. The crown is decorated with about 2,800 diamonds, most notably the Koh-i-Noor in the middle of the front cross. It also contains a replica of the 22.48-carat (4 g) Lahore Diamond given to Queen Victoria by the East India Company in 1851, and a 17-carat (3 g) diamond given to her by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1856. The crown was laid on top of Elizabeth's coffin during her lying in state and at her funeral in 2002.
The Imperial Crown of India
Non-coronation crowns
The Imperial Crown of India was created in 1911 when George V visited the Delhi Durbar to be proclaimed (but not crowned) as Emperor of India before the princes and rulers of the country. An ancient law prohibits the removal of Crown Jewels from the United Kingdom; for this reason, a new crown had to be made specially, with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and 6,100 diamonds. The king wrote in his diary, "Rather tired after wearing my crown for 3½ hours; it hurt my head, as it is pretty heavy". It has not been used since George V returned from India, and is now a part of the Crown Jewels.
Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown is just 10 cm (4 in) tall, and was made in 1870 using diamonds taken from a large necklace belonging to the queen, who wore the crown on top of her widow's cap following the death of her husband, Prince Albert. Towards the end of her reign, she often wore it at State Openings of Parliament in place of the much heavier Imperial State Crown. After the queen's death in 1901, her daughter-in-law Queen Alexandra wore the crown, and it was also worn by Queen Mary.
The relatively modest Coronet of Frederick was made in 1728 for the Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of George II. It takes the form laid down in a royal warrant issued by Charles II in 1677, which states, "The son and heir apparent of the Crown shall use and bear his coronet of crosses and fleurs-de-lis with one arch and a ball and cross".The gold coronet was placed on a cushion in front of him when he took his seat in the House of Lords. It was last used by Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales.
The Imperial Crown of India is the G.O.A.T. royal head piece. To my U.K. brothers, are the Crown Jewels Her Majesty's personal property or do they belong to the state? Can Her Majesty call over to the Tower of London, and say, "I feel like highsidin' today and I want wear the regalia, send it over. I'm sorry, if I were Wills or Harry'em I would had to have some orgy action with the Crown Jewels. I straight would have been wearing on of those platinum crowns while assaulting some broads ass, and have other ? use the swords and sceptres as ? .
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Bhutan is one of my favorite nations period. Their state religion is tantric Buddhism and their a net positive effect on the environment, because they plant a ton of trees every year and practice healthy environmental laws. Would like to visit one day
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babelipsss wrote: »Queen Elizabeth has the best jewelry.
That ? doesn't even put out all the jewels she really has
My parents went back in the 90's and came back some years later after 2005, and they told me she has a lot more than what I saw
cause she fears because of the increased terrorism
Someone might run them jewels
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interesting
