Royal Families: Global Count and European Houses

For centuries, royal families have captured the public imagination, but their role today is more complex than ever. This guide breaks down how many royal families exist worldwide, the 12 European houses, royal titles, and answers to quirky questions about modern monarchs.

Active monarchies worldwide: 43 ·
European monarchies: 12 ·
European countries with constitutional monarchies: 10 ·
Current British monarch: King Charles III (since 2022)

Four key facts about royal families, one pattern: each monarchy balances tradition with constitutional limits.

How many royal families are there?

Global count of monarchies

• There are 43 active monarchies worldwide, according to the CIA World Factbook.
• Europe has 12 monarchies: 10 are hereditary constitutional monarchies, plus Andorra (co-principality) and Vatican City (elective absolute monarchy).
• Asia leads with the most monarchies (13), followed by Africa (7), and the Americas (2).

Criteria for a royal family

• A royal family is the immediate family of a reigning monarch. The British royal family definition includes the monarch’s spouse, children, and grandchildren.
• Not all monarchies have a “royal family” – some have princely houses (e.g., Monaco’s House of Grimaldi) or a grand ducal family (Luxembourg).

The implication: the term “royal family” is elastic. Europe’s 10 hereditary houses fit the classic definition, while Andorra’s co-princes (a bishop and a president) blur the line.

Who are the 12 royal families in Europe?

List of European monarchies

• United Kingdom – House of Windsor
• Spain – House of Bourbon (Casa de S.M. el Rey)
• Sweden – House of Bernadotte (The Royal Court of Sweden)
• Norway – House of Glücksburg (The Royal House of Norway)
• Denmark – House of Glücksburg (King Frederik X since 2024) (The Danish Monarchy)
• Netherlands – House of Orange-Nassau (The Royal House of the Netherlands)
• Belgium – House of Belgium (Belgium.be)
• Luxembourg – House of Nassau-Weilburg (The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg)
• Monaco – House of Grimaldi
• Liechtenstein – House of Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein.li)
• Andorra – Co-principality (Bishop of Urgell and President of France) (Andorra Tourism)
• Vatican City – Elective absolute monarchy (the Pope) (The Holy See)

Notable royal families

• The British royal family (House of Windsor) is the most widely known, with an estimated annual cost to taxpayers of £86 million.
• Spain’s House of Bourbon has navigated scandals and abdications, with King Felipe VI ascending in 2014 after his father’s abdication (Casa de S.M. el Rey).
• Denmark’s monarchy is one of the oldest, tracing its lineage back to the 10th century. King Frederik X succeeded in 2024 after Margrethe II’s abdication (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

What this means: Europe’s 12 royal families each have unique constitutional roles and public profiles. The British monarchy dominates headlines, but lesser-known houses like Liechtenstein and Luxembourg wield real political influence in their small states.

What does a king call his wife?

Title of a king’s spouse

• A king’s wife is called a queen consort. The British royal family clarifies that “queen consort” is the official title.
• Historically, the wife of a king was simply “queen,” but modern usage adds “consort” to distinguish from a reigning queen.

Queen consort vs. queen regnant

• A queen regnant is a female monarch in her own right, like Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022).
• A queen consort shares the monarch’s rank but has no constitutional authority. Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, is a queen consort.
• The husband of a queen regnant is styled prince consort, not king – as seen with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The pattern: royal titles follow strict gender conventions. A king’s wife becomes queen, but a queen’s husband cannot become king because “king” implies a higher constitutional rank.

Who was the kindest king ever?

Historical examples of benevolent monarchs

• King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis, 1214–1270) is often cited for his justice and care for the poor. He was canonized as a saint (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• King Ashoka of India (304–232 BCE) converted to Buddhism after a bloody conquest and dedicated his reign to non-violence and social welfare (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• King George VI of the United Kingdom (1936–1952) is remembered for his dedication during World War II, his struggle with a speech impediment, and his modernisation of the monarchy.

Public perception of kindness

• Modern polls often rank Scandinavian monarchs as the most beloved. King Harald V of Norway and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden regularly score high approval ratings.
• The kindest king label is subjective, but Louis IX and Ashoka are frequently listed in historical surveys for their moral leadership.

The catch: historical reputation is shaped by chroniclers. Ashoka’s edicts survive, but Louis IX’s canonization reflects religious politics as much as personal character.

What are the 35 surnames related to the royal family?

Surnames of the British royal family

• The British royal family’s surname is Windsor, adopted in 1917 to replace the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha during World War I (The Royal Family).
• Before 1917, the royal family used the house name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which was also connected to the Belgian royal family (Belgium.be).
• Descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip use Mountbatten-Windsor as a personal surname when needed (e.g., for marriage licenses or military service), but the house remains Windsor.

How royal surnames change over time

• European royal families often have house names that reflect their dynastic origins. The “35 surnames” mentioned in trivia sources typically refer to the historic houses across Europe.
• Examples: Bourbon (Spain, France historically), Bernadotte (Sweden), Glücksburg (Denmark, Norway), Orange-Nassau (Netherlands), Grimaldi (Monaco), Liechtenstein.
• Some families have multiple branches: the House of Bourbon includes Spanish and Luxembourgian lines.

The implication: royal surnames are less about family identity and more about historical continuity. A change like Windsor in 1917 reflects political necessity, not genealogy.

Royal families remain a fixture in modern Europe, but their influence is increasingly symbolic and constrained by democratic norms. For citizens in constitutional monarchies like the UK, Spain, or Denmark, the choice is clear: retain a ceremonial head of state with deep historical roots, or face the complexity of electing a president. The data shows that most monarchies adapt by cutting costs and embracing transparency – and those that fail to modernise risk losing public trust.