A royal family is the immediate family of kings/

queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, while the terms baronial family, comital family, ducal family, archducal family, grand ducal family, or princely family are more appropriate to describe, respectively, the relatives of a reigning baron,

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, archduke, grand duke, or

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

. However, in common parlance members of any family which

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-prince of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kings, the Franks, List of ...

s by hereditary right are often referred to as royalty or "royals". It is also customary in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

and their descendants as a royal family. A

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

is sometimes referred to as the "House of ...". In July 2013 there were 26 active sovereign dynasties in the world that ruled or reigned over 43 monarchies. , while there are several European countries whose nominal head of state, by long tradition, is a king or queen, the associated royal families, with the notable exception of the British royal family, are non-notable ordinary citizens who may bear a title but are not involved in public affairs.

Members of a royal family

A royal family typically includes the spouse of the reigning monarch, surviving spouses of a deceased monarch, the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and paternal cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great grandchildren and more distant descendants of a monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

is the norm, such as the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, a royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. In certain instances, such as in Canada, the royal family is defined by who holds the styles

Majesty Majesty (abbreviated HM for His Majesty or Her Majesty, oral address Your Majesty; from the Latin ''maiestas'', meaning "greatness") is used as a manner of address by many monarchs, usually kings or queens. Where used, the style outranks the st ...

and

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

.Department of National Defence: ''The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces''; pg 281
/ref> There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family. Under most systems, only persons in the first category are dynasts, that is, potential successors to the throne (unless the member of the latter category is also in line to the throne in their own right, a frequent occurrence in royal families which frequently intermarry). This is not always observed; some monarchies have operated by the principle of '' jure uxoris''. In addition, certain relatives of the monarch (by blood or marriage) possess special privileges and are subject to certain statutes, conventions, or special common law. The precise functions of a royal family vary depending on whether the polity in question is an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

, a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

, or somewhere in between. In certain monarchies, such as that found in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, or in political systems where the monarch actually exercises executive power, such as in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, it is not uncommon for the members of a royal family to hold important government posts or military commands. In most constitutional monarchies, however, members of a royal family perform certain public, social, or ceremonial functions, but refrain from any involvement in electoral politics or the actual governance of the country. The specific composition of royal families varies from country to country, as do the titles and

royal and noble styles Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization. This page will detail the various styles used by royalty and nobility in Europe ...

held by members of the family. The composition of the royal family may be regulated by statute enacted by the legislature (e.g., Spain, the

, and Japan since 1947), the sovereign's prerogative and common law tradition (e.g., the United Kingdom), or a private house law (e.g.,

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

, the former ruling houses of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, etc.). Public statutes, constitutional provisions, or conventions may also regulate the marriages, names, and personal titles of royal family members. The members of a royal family may or may not have a surname or dynastic name (see Royal House). In a constitutional monarchy, when the monarch dies, there is always a law or tradition of succession to the throne that either specifies a formula for identifying the precise

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.line of hereditary succession In inheritance, a hereditary successor is a person who inherits an indivisible title or office after the death of the previous title holder. The hereditary line of succession may be limited to heirs of the body, or may pass also to collateral l ...

among royal individuals may be identified at any given moment during prior

s (e.g.

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

Nizari Ismailis The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize ...

, Japan, Balobedus, Sweden,

Kingdom of Benin The Kingdom of Benin, also known as the Edo Kingdom, or the Benin Empire ( Bini: ') was a kingdom within what is now southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th ce ...

) whereas in the latter case the next sovereign may be selected (or changed) only during the reign or shortly after the demise of the immediately preceding monarch (e.g.

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

KwaZulu Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, Buganda,

, Swaziland,

Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...

, The Kingitanga). Some monarchies employ a mix of these selection processes (

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

), providing for both an identifiable line of succession as well as authority for the monarch, dynasty or other institution to alter the line in specific instances without changing the general law of succession. Some countries have abolished royalty altogether, as in post-revolutionary France (1870), post-revolutionary Russia (1917), Portugal (1910), post-war Germany (1918), post-war Italy (1946) and many ex European colonies.

Current royal families

Africa

* Lesotho royal family *

Moroccan royal family The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...

Swazi royal family The House of Dlamini is the royal house of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Mswati III, as king and Ngwenyama of Eswatini, is the current head of the house of Dlamini. Swazi kings up to the present day are referred to as ''Ingwenyama'' and they rule toge ...

List of current constituent African monarchs This is a list of reigning non-sovereign monarchs, including traditional rulers and governing constitutional monarchs, but not the kings of Lesotho, Morocco and Eswatini. Each monarch listed below reigns over a legally recognised dominion, but ...

Middle East

Bahraini royal family The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...

* Emirati princely families * Jordanian royal family * Kuwaiti princely family * Omani sultanic family * Qatari princely family *

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), an ...

Asia

Bruneian royal family The House of Bolkiah is the ruling royal family of Brunei Darussalam. It is composed of the descendants of the 1st sultan Sultan Muhammad Shah and his family. The Sultan of Brunei is the head of state and absolute monarch of Brunei. He is a ...

* Bhutanese royal family * Cambodian royal family *

Japanese imperial family The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

* Malaysian royal families **

Johor royal family The Sultan of Johor is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a ''bendahara''. Currently, the role of ''bendahara'' has been take ...

** Kedah royal family ** Kelantan royal family ** Negeri Sembilan royal family ** Pahang royal family ** Perak royal family ** Perlis royal family **

Selangor royal family The Selangor Royal Family consists of the family members of the Sultan of Selangor. It currently consists of Sharafuddin of Selangor and his close relations. The Sultan and his family belong to the House of Daeng Chelak. The ruling house had ...

Terengganu royal family Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi script, Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Ar ...

Thai royal family The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

* List of current constituent Asian monarchs

Europe

Belgian royal family Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's he ...

* British royal family *

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

Dutch royal family The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

* Liechtenstein princely family * Luxembourg grand ducal family * Monegasque princely family * Norwegian royal family * Spanish royal family *

Swedish royal family The Swedish royal family ( sv, Svenska kungafamiljen) since 1818 has consisted of members of the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today those who are recognized by the government are entitled to royal ti ...

Oceania

* Australian royal family * New Zealander royal family * Papuan royal family * Solomon Islands royal family * Tongan royal family * Tuvaluan royal family

North America

* Antiguan royal family * Bahamian royal family * Belizean royal family *

Canadian royal family The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the founda ...

* Grenadian royal family * Jamaican royal family * Miskito royal family * Saint Kitts and Nevis royal family * Saint Lucian royal family * Vincentian royal family

Deposed royal families

Africa

* Central African imperial family * Egyptian royal family * Ethiopian imperial family * Gambian royal family * Ghanaian royal family * Kenyan royal family * Lybian royal family * Malawian royal family * Mauritian royal family * Nigerian royal family * Rwandan royal family * Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) royal family * Sierra Leonean royal family * South African royal family * Tanganykan (Tanzanian) royal family * Tunisian royal family * Ugandan royal family * Umurundi royal family

Middle East

* Ottoman (Turkish) imperial family * Iranian imperial family * Iraqi royal family * Yemeni royal family

Asia

Afghan royal family This article lists the heads of state of Afghanistan since the foundation of the first modern Afghan state, the Hotak Empire, in 1709. History The Hotak Empire was formed after a successful uprising led by Mirwais Hotak and other Afghan trib ...

* Bengali royal family * Burmese royal family * Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) royal family * Chinese imperial family * Indian imperial family ** Baroda royal family ** Royal family of Dhaka ** Jodhpur royal family ** Mysore roya Family (Wadiyar dynasty) * Korean imperial family *

Laotian royal family The Lao Royal Family was the ruling family of the Kingdom of Laos from 1904 to 1975 and the group of close relatives of the monarch of the Kingdom of Laos. King Sisavang Vong was the founder of the modern family, consisting of a number of persons ...

* Maldivian sultanic family * Nepalese royal family * Pakistani royal family * Singaporean sultanic family * Khiva (Turkmen) royal family * Bhukaran (Uzbek) royal family * Vietnamese imperial family

Europe

* Albanian royal family * Austrian imperial family * Bohemian (Czech) royal family * Bulgarian royal family * Croatian royal family * Finnish royal family * Georgian royal family * French imperial family * German imperial family ** Bavarian royal family ** Saxon royal family ** Württemberg royal family *** Baden grand ducal family *** Hessian grand ducal family *** Mecklenburg (Schwerin and Strelitz) grand ducal family *** Oldenburg grand ducal family *** Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach grand ducal family **** Anhalt ducal family **** Brunswick ducal family **** Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ducal family **** Saxe-Meiningen ducal family ***** Lippe-Detmold princely family *

Greek royal family The Greek royal family (Greek: Ελληνική Βασιλική Οικογένεια) is a branch of the Danish royal family, itself a branch of the House of Glücksburg, that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. It ...

* Irish royal family *

Italian royal family The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alps, Alpine County of Savoy, county north-west of Ita ...

* Hungarian royal family * Lithuanian royal family * Maltese royal family * Petrović-Njegoš dynasty, Montenegrin royal family * House of Romanov, Polish royal family (Congress Poland) * House of Braganza, Portuguese royal family * Romanian royal family * House of Romanov, Russian imperial family * Karađorđević dynasty, Serbian royal family

Oceania

* Commonwealth realm#Former realms, Fijian royal family * Kingdom of Hawaii, Hawaiian royal family

North America

* Monarchy of Barbados, Barbadian royal family * Faustin Soulouque, Haitian imperial family * House of Iturbide, Mexican imperial family * Miskito royal family * Commonwealth realm#Former realms, Trinidad and Tobago royal family

South America

* Brazilian imperial family * Mask of Ferdinand VII of Spain, Ferdinand VII context ** House of Bourbon#Bourbons of Spain and Italy, Argentine royal family (United Provinces of the Río de la Plata) ** House of Bourbon#Bourbons of Spain and Italy, Chilean royal family (Patria Vieja, Kingdom of Chile) ** House of Bourbon#Bourbons of Spain and Italy, Colombian royal family (Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca) ** House of Bourbon#Bourbons of Spain and Italy, Venezuelan royal family (Supreme Junta) * Commonwealth realm#Former realms, Guyanese royal family

Mediatised princely families

Whilst German mediatisation, mediatization occurred in other countries such as France, Italy and Russia, only the certain houses within the former Holy Roman Empire are collectively called the Mediatized Houses. * House of Arenberg, Arenberg ducal family (Belgian nobility, Belgium) * House of Fürstenberg (Swabia), Fürstenberg princely family (German nobility, Germany) * House of Ligne, Ligne princely family (Belgian nobility, Belgium) * House of Merode, Merode princely family (Belgian nobility, Belgium) * House of Schwarzenberg, Schwarzenberg princely family (Bohemian nobility, Bohemia) * Thurn und Taxis, Thurn und Taxis princely family (German nobility, Germany)

Dynasties

References

External links

* {{Authority control Royal families,

Members of a royal family

Current royal families

Africa

Middle East

Asia

Europe

Oceania

North America

Deposed royal families

Africa

Middle East

Asia

Europe

Oceania

North America

South America

Mediatised princely families

Dynasties

See also

References

External links