Do you know what other countries have their own kings in the 21st century?
10th place: Vatican.
With an area of only 0.44 square kilometers, the Vatican is the smallest country on earth, located in the northwest corner of the Italian capital, one of several famous "states within states", established as a sovereign state since 1929, a theocratic system, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Because the Vatican is the holy place of Catholicism, their king is also the pope, and going to any Catholic country in Europe and the United States will be treated with the most respect. The pope, also called the Pope, which means "father", enjoys supreme legislative and judicial power, can make or abolish canons, ordain members of the Holy See, appoint bishops, and is considered a person who cannot err on ethics and faith.
9th place: Tonga.
The Kingdom of Tonga is an island nation of 172 islands located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Tonga has had a constitutional monarchy since 1875 and is the only country in Oceania to have a monarchy. It was colonized by the British, became independent in 1970, and joined the United Nations in 1999. The King of Tonga once held great power, but since George Tupou V, he has appointed the common people as prime ministers, and the king has gradually become a symbolic and powerless head of state. There is a very interesting little tidbit, because of the good family genes, the successive kings of Tonga have grown very tall.
8th place: Netherlands.
The Netherlands was the first modern capitalist country on earth, the Dutch East India Company, founded during the Dutch Empire, established the first stock exchange on the planet, and the guilder became the first international currency. The Netherlands has been criticized as a country with excessive freedoms, such as its laws allowing abortion, euthanasia and sex trafficking, relaxing the use of recreational drugs, and even being the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. But this is the kind of country that has its own king, since 1815, the Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy, the latest king is Willem-Alexander, who ascended the throne in 2013, theoretically, the king of the Netherlands can appoint members of his government, but now basically according to the election of the coalition government, and then announced by the king. It is worth mentioning that Belgium and Luxembourg, the two "Low Countries" brothers of the Netherlands, also have their own kings.
7th place: Qatar.
Qatar, an emirate located on the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, surrounded on three sides by the Persian Gulf and bordered only to the south by Saudi Arabia, is a country rich in oil and gas resources that declared independence in 1971. The per capita GDP is about 83,900 US dollars, ranking first in Asia and sixth in the world, and it even hosted the World Cup in 2022 before China. Since the 19th century, Qatar has been ruled by the Al Thani family, adopting a constitutional monarchy, some even believe that it is an absolute monarchy, and the current king Al Thani is also its head of state, and has married three wives and gave birth to 13 children.
6th place: Cambodia.
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy on the Indochina Peninsula and is known as a mainland neighbor and a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The King of Cambodia is the head of state for life and the nominal supreme military commander-in-chief. However, according to the current constitution, the King of Cambodia is only a symbolic head of state, representing national peace, stability and prosperity. The king of Cambodia is chosen from the descendants of Sihanouk who has reached the age of 30, and is one of the very few countries on earth where the king is elected, and the current king of Cambodia is Norodom Sihamoni, who is said to have been forced to ascend the throne, is still unmarried in his 70s, and has lived in Beijing for a long time.
5th place: Denmark.
Denmark is a country consisting of Denmark proper, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and has a land border with only one country, Germany. During World War II, Denmark, which declared itself a neutral country, was invaded by Germany's "Operation Wesselberg" and was defeated in just four hours, setting a record for the fastest surrender in World War II. Denmark is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and the Danish king is only the supreme head of the church. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has been on the throne since 1972 and is the second queen of Denmark, the previous queen dates back to Margrethe I 600 years ago, and with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Denmark has also become the only country on earth to have a female monarch.
4th place: Spain.
The Kingdom of Spain is located in southwestern Europe, with five-sixths of its territory on the Iberian Peninsula, making it the second largest country in the European Union in terms of area after France and the fourth most populous country in the European Union. Spain was once very prosperous, especially after the annexation of Portugal in 1581, and Spanish is still the third most populous and the second most native language in the world. But then it gradually weakened, especially after the Spanish-American War, when almost all of its overseas colonies were lost. King Alfonso XIII was also forced to abdicate. Spain is also a country where parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy coexist, and the current king is Felipe VI, who ascended the throne in 2014, and he became king through his father's abdication. According to the Spanish constitution, Felipe VI was both the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the army.
3rd place: Thailand.
The Kingdom of Thailand is located in the middle of the Indochinese Peninsula and was known as "Siam" in ancient times. Although Thailand was forced to sign a number of unequal treaties in modern times, it is the only country in Southeast Asia that has not been colonized, and during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Thailand was successfully transformed into a modern absolute monarchy, and in 1932, the Siamese Constitutional Revolution broke out, and the Thai royal family was changed to a constitutional monarchy. Thailand is one of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, especially in the tourism and service sectors. The current king of Thailand is Maha Vajiralongkorn, who officially ascended the throne in 2016. According to Thailand's constitution, the royal family is not allowed to get involved in politics, should not be above politics, and remain politically neutral. But during the new crown epidemic, the king of Thailand has long been hiding in Germany, coupled with his luxurious life and addiction to women, which has caused dissatisfaction among the Thai people.
2nd place: Saudi Arabia.
Located on the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the second largest country in the Arab world by area outside of Algeria and is the only country with both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf coastline, with most of its territory being deserts and wastelands. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producer and exporter, and the only Arab country in the G20, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud, a country that adheres to Islamic principles and rules in the form of an absolute monarchy, which still retains torture such as beheading. The current king of Saudi Arabia is Salman, because Saudi Arabia is so rich, so it is said that the elevator for the king's plane visit is made of gold, because the king is old, and now many important affairs in Saudi Arabia are presided over by his eighth son Salman Jr.
1st place: United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island country located in Western Europe, because it was the first to complete the first industrial revolution, so this country is only 80th in the world, and once had 26.5% of the world's land area of colonies, the largest empire in history. Although it is not as strong as it used to be, it is still the sixth largest economy in the world and one of the five permanent members of the United Nations and the G7. Britain is a constitutional monarchy, a theocratic country, and the previous king, Elizabeth II, is familiar to everyone. From her coronation in 1952 at the age of 26 to her death in 2022 at the age of 96, she reigned for 70 years, and her global influence is also huge. After the Queen's death, her son Charles III ascended the throne at the age of 73, and he became the oldest monarch in British history to ascend the throne and the oldest crown prince in history.
Can you think of any other country that still has a king?