The immediate family of a monarch (typically a king or queen) who governs a country via a monarchy is referred to as the royal family. Royal families exist in nations with monarchies.
Royal family members are traditionally composed of the king, their spouse, children and grandchildren, surviving parents, siblings, and paternal cousins.
Traditionally, the royal family includes the spouses of all immediate family members. Including relatives like great-grandchildren (like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II) and other lineal descendants in this definition is possible.
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The world’s royal families
All 26 kingdoms have one thing in common: they’re all in Europe. Well-known royal families like the Windsors in Britain and Monaco’s Grimaldi’s are included. African and Asian monarchs also include renowned royal lineages, many of which tell fascinating tales.
With his 1959 marriage to Michiko Shda, Japan’s current Emperor Emeritus Akihito violated a 2,600-year-old custom by marrying the woman he loved rather than the aristocratic woman from the proper social group.
Later, his granddaughter, Princess Mako, decided to give up her royal rank to marry the guy she cared about, just like him.
Several other notable royal families should be mentioned, like Bhutan’s photogenic Wangchuck dynasty, which includes King Jihme Singye, Queen Jetsun Pema, and the two young princes, Jigme Namgyel and Jigme Ugyen.

There are currently six European royal families:
- The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gothas – Belgium (King Philippe)
- The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg – Denmark (Queen Margrethe II)
- The House of Liechtenstein – Liechtenstein (Prince Hans-Adam II)
- The House of Luxembourg-Nassau – Luxembourg – Grand Duke Henri
- The House of Grimaldi – Monaco (Prince Albert II)
- The House of Orange-Nassau – Netherlands (King Willem-Alexander)
- The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg – Norway – (King Harald V)
- The House of Borbón-Anjou – Spain (King Felipe VI)
- The House of Bernadotte – Sweden (King Carl XVI Gustaf)
- The House of Windsor – United Kingdom (Queen Elizabeth II)
Which royal dynasty is in control of the biggest kingdom?
The fact that Queen Elizabeth II, possibly the most well-known monarch in the world, reigns over more than only the United Kingdom is not well understood in many nations.
Also See: Countries With Proportional Representation 2022
There are 15 nations under British rule, including Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, and the Commonwealth of Independent States. There remains a ceremonial link between these countries and the British monarchy, although each has become an independent sovereign state.
Queen Elizabeth II is admired in the following 16 countries:
- United Kingdom
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Solomon Islands
- Tuvalu
Country | Royal Family | Current Monarch | 2022 Population |
---|---|---|---|
Antigua and Barbuda | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 93.7630 |
Australia | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 26177.4130 |
Bahamas | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 409.9840 |
Bahrain | Al Khalifa | King Hamad bin Isa | 1472.2330 |
Belgium | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | King Philippe | 11655.9300 |
Belize | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 405.2720 |
Bhutan | Wangchuck | King Jigme Khesar Namgyel | 782.4550 |
Cambodia | Norodom | King Norodom Sihamoni | 16767.8420 |
Canada | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 38454.3270 |
Denmark | Glücksburg | Queen Margrethe II | 5882.2610 |
Eswatini | Dlamini | King Mswati III | 1201.6700 |
Grenada | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 125.4380 |
Jamaica | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 2827.3770 |
Japan | Yamato | Emperor Naruhito | 123951.6920 |
Jordan | Hāshim | King Abdullah II | 11285.8690 |
Kuwait | Al Sabah | Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad | 4268.8730 |
Lesotho | Moshesh | King Letsie III | 2305.8250 |
Luxembourg | Luxembourg-Nassau | Grand Duke Henri | 647.5990 |
Malaysia | Bendahara | King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah | 33938.2210 |
Monaco | Grimaldi | Sovereign Prince Albert II | 36.4690 |
Morocco | Alawi | King Mohammed VI | 37457.9710 |
Netherlands | Orange-Nassau | King Willem-Alexander | 17564.0140 |
New Zealand | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 5185.2880 |
Norway | Glücksburg | King Harald V | 5434.3190 |
Oman | Al Said | Sultan Haitham bin Tariq | 4576.2980 |
Papua New Guinea | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 10142.6190 |
Qatar | Al Thani | Emir Tamim bin Hamad | 2695.1220 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 47.6570 |
Saint Lucia | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 179.8570 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 103.9480 |
Saudi Arabia | Al Saud | King Salman bin Abdulaziz | 36408.8200 |
Solomon Islands | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 724.2730 |
Spain | Borbón-Anjou | King Felipe VI | 47558.6300 |
Sweden | Bernadotte | King Carl XVI Gustaf | 10549.3470 |
Thailand | Chakri | King Vajiralongkorn | 71697.0300 |
Tonga | Tupou | King Tupou VI | 106.8580 |
Tuvalu | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 11.3120 |
United Kingdom | Windsor | Queen Elizabeth II | 67508.9360 |
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