World Sovereigns, 2015
Imagine that, miraculously, an overwhelming wave of monarchist sentiment swept the world, resulting in the restoration of all the monarchies that existed when the twentieth century began, as well as those of France, Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, and those created subsequently. (I've omitted Europe's two tiny non-hereditary monarchies for various reasons.) Here then is what the list of contemporary sovereigns might look like, with (in disputed cases) the most widely favored claimants selected, and seniority dated retroactively to whenever they actually became head of their respective house.
| Country |
Sovereign |
Born |
Acceded |
| Romania |
King Michael I |
25 Oct |
1921 |
6 Sep |
1940 |
| Bulgaria |
King Simeon II |
16 Jun |
1937 |
28 Aug |
1943 |
| Thailand |
King Bhumibol Adulyadej |
5 Dec |
1927 |
9 Jun |
1946 |
| United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms |
Queen Elizabeth II |
21 Apr |
1926 |
6 Feb |
1952 |
| Egypt |
King Ahmad Fuad II |
16 Jan |
1952 |
26 Jul |
1952 |
| Zanzibar |
Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah |
16 Sep |
1929 |
7 Jul |
1963 |
| Greece |
King Constantine II |
6 Jun |
1940 |
6 Mar |
1964 |
| Brunei Darussalam |
Sultan Sir Muda Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzadin Waddaulah |
15 Jul |
1946 |
5 Oct |
1967 |
| Maldives |
Sultan Muhammad Nur ud-din |
|
|
May |
1969 |
| Oman |
Sultan Qabus bin Said |
18 Nov |
1942 |
23 Jul |
1970 |
| Iraq |
King Ra'ad |
18 Feb |
1936 |
18 Oct |
1970 |
| Serbia |
King Alexander II |
17 Jul |
1945 |
3 Nov |
1970 |
| Denmark |
Queen Margrethe II |
16 Apr |
1940 |
14 Jan |
1972 |
| Sweden |
King Carl XVI Gustaf |
30 Apr |
1946 |
19 Sep |
1973 |
| Ethiopia |
Emperor Zere Yacob II |
15 Aug |
1953 |
|
1975 |
| Spain |
King Juan Carlos I |
5 Jan |
1938 |
22 Nov |
1975 |
| Portugal |
King Duarte III |
14 May |
1945 |
24 Dec |
1976 |
| Burundi |
Queen Rosa Paula Iribagiza |
20 Mar |
1934 |
1 May |
1977 |
| China |
Emperor Hengzhen |
|
1944 |
|
1977 |
| Laos |
King Soulivong Savang |
8 May |
1963 |
Mar |
1980 |
| Iran |
Shah Reza II Pahlavi |
31 Oct |
1960 |
27 Jul |
1980 |
| Brazil |
Emperor Luiz I |
6 Jun |
1938 |
5 Jul |
1981 |
| Sikkim |
Chogyal Wangchuk Namgyal, 13th Maharaja |
1 Apr |
1953 |
29 Jan |
1982 |
| Italy |
King Vittorio Emanuele IV |
12 Feb |
1937 |
18 Mar |
1983 |
| Montenegro |
King Nikola II |
7 Jul |
1944 |
24 Mar |
1986 |
| Swaziland |
King Mswati III |
|
1968 |
25 Apr |
1986 |
| Japan |
Emperor Akihito |
23 Dec |
1933 |
7 Jan |
1989 |
| Liechtenstein |
Prince Hans Adam II |
14 Feb |
1945 |
13 Nov |
1989 |
| Norway |
King Harald V |
21 Feb |
1937 |
17 Jan |
1991 |
| Russia |
Empress Maria I |
23 Dec |
1953 |
21 Apr |
1992 |
| Libya |
King Muhammed al-Hasan ar-Rida al-Senussi |
20 Oct |
1962 |
28 Apr |
1992 |
| Turkey |
Sultan Osman V |
18 Aug |
1912 |
12 Mar |
1994 |
| Germany |
Emperor Georg Friedrich I |
10 Jun |
1976 |
25 Sep |
1994 |
| Lesotho |
King Letsie III |
17 July |
1963 |
7 Feb |
1996 |
| Tunisia |
King Muhammed Bey |
|
1928 |
|
1996 |
| Yemen |
Sultan Ageel bin Muhammad al-Badr |
|
1973 |
6 Aug |
1996 |
| Central African Empire |
Emperor Bokassa II |
2 Nov |
1975 |
3 Nov |
1996 |
| Hawaii |
King Quentin I Kawananakoa |
28 Sep |
1961 |
29 Jul |
1997 |
| Jordan |
King Abdullah II |
30 Jan |
1962 |
7 Feb |
1999 |
| Bahrain |
King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa |
28 Jan |
1950 |
6 Mar |
1999 |
| France |
King Henri VII |
14 Jun |
1933 |
19 Jun |
1999 |
| Morocco |
King Mohammed VI |
21 Aug |
1963 |
23 Jul |
1999 |
| Mexico |
Emperor Maximilian II |
2 Mar |
1944 |
8 Aug |
1999 |
| Luxembourg |
Grand Duke Henri |
16 Apr |
1955 |
7 Oct |
2000 |
| Nepal |
King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
7 Jul |
1947 |
4 Jun |
2001 |
| Cambodia |
King Norodom Sihamoni |
14 May |
1953 |
14 Oct |
2004 |
| United Arab Emirates |
President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Emir of Abu Dhabi |
|
1948 |
3 Nov |
2004 |
| Monaco |
Prince Albert II |
14 Mar |
1958 |
6 Apr |
2005 |
| Korea |
Emperor Yi Won |
|
1962 |
16 Jul |
2005 |
| Saudi Arabia |
King Abdullah |
|
1924 |
1 Aug |
2005 |
| Kuwait |
Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah |
|
|
24 Jan |
2006 |
| Bhutan |
King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk |
21 Feb |
1980 |
15 Dec |
2006 |
| Samoa |
Tupua Tamasese Tupuola Tufuga Efi, O le Ao o le Mao |
1 Mar |
1938 |
16 Jun |
2007 |
| Afghanistan |
King Ahmed Shah Khan |
23 Sep |
1934 |
23 Jul |
2007 |
| Vietnam |
Emperor Bao Thang |
30 Sep |
1943 |
28 Jul |
2007 |
| Georgia |
King David XIII |
24 Jun |
1976 |
16 Jan |
2008 |
| Austria-Hungary |
Emperor Karl II |
11 Jan |
1961 |
4 Jul |
2011 |
| Albania |
King Leka II |
26 Mar |
1982 |
30 Nov |
2011 |
| Malaysia |
Paramount Ruler Abdul Halim |
28 Nov |
1927 |
13 Dec |
2011 |
| Tonga |
King ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho |
12 Jul |
1959 |
18 Mar |
2012 |
| Netherlands |
King Willem-Alexander |
27 April |
1967 |
30 April |
2013 |
| Qatar |
Emir Tamim bin Hamad ath-Thani |
3 Jun |
1980 |
25 Jun |
2013 |
| Belgium |
King Philippe I |
15 Apr |
1960 |
21 Jul |
2013 |
| Spain |
King Felipe VI |
30 Jan |
1968 |
19 Jun |
2014 |
Today (Actual)
One Hundred Years Ago
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