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This article is about the monarchy-related concept. For other uses, see Royal Family (disambiguation).
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Members of the royal family shared amongst the Commonwealth Realms.
A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. Generally, the head of a royal family is a king or queen regnant. The term "imperial family" more appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress regnant, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate in reference to the relatives of a reigning duke, grand duke, or prince. Finally, it is considered proper in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed monarch and his or her descendants as 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 cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great granchildren and more distant descendants of a monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary abdication is the norm, such as the Netherlands, a royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family. In certain instances, such as in Canada, the royal family is defined by who holds the titles Majesty and Royal Highness.[1] 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.
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Royal family of France in Classical costume during the reign of Louis XIV


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, a constitutional monarchy, or somewhere in between. In certain absolute monarchies, such as that found in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, or in political systems where the monarch actually exercises executive power, such as in Jordan, 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 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 Netherlands, 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, the former ruling houses of Bavaria, Prussia, Hanover, 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 very specific order of succession that indicates the exact order of family members in line to the throne.

In some cases, well-known families that are not actually involved in monarchies but are still prominent in government are informally referred to as "royal families". The best-known example of this is the Kennedy family in the U.S. and the descendents of the Gurjara-Pratiharas clans or "Rajputs" in India. See Gujjar.

Some royal families have lost their "royalty" by social changes over a long period time. This fate befell the Nair families of Kerala, India, after the advent of Namboodiri Brahmins in the 12th century who claimed caste superiority over the Nair kings.

In recent years, many royal families have become increasingly challenged by the media to justify the public expenditure on them. This is particularly so when the royal family is perceived as behaving badly (extra-marital affairs, or refusing to grieve publicly on the death of Lady Diana).

Famous royal houses and dynasties

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Royal families

See also

References

External links

A Royal family is the extended family of a monarch.

The Royal Family may refer to:
  • The Royal Family (play), a stage play
  • The Royal Family (film), a 1954 film
  • The Royal Family

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List of forms of government
  • Anarchism
  • Aristocracy
  • Authoritarianism
  • Autocracy

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monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers.
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monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers.
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emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the feminine form. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who is a ruling monarch (
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emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the feminine form. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort) or a woman who is a ruling monarch (
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prince, from the Latin root princeps, is used for a member of the highest ranks of the aristocracy or the nobility.

The title is given only to males and has several fundamentally different meanings, of which one is generic to the word, and several types of titles.
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monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. Monarchs almost always inherit their titles and are rulers for life; that is, they have no term limit. Historically monarchs have been more or less absolute rulers.
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Abdication (from the Latin abdicatio, disowning, renouncing, from ab, from, and dicare, to declare, to proclaim as not belonging to one) is the act of renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme office of state.
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Motto
"Je maintiendrai"   (French)
"Ik zal handhaven"   (Dutch)
"I shall stand fast"1
Anthem
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Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin Maiestas, meaning Greatness.

Origin

Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas
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Royal Highness (abbreviation HRH) is a style (His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness); plural Royal Highnesses (abbreviation TRH, Their Royal Highnesses).
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Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "in right of a wife."

It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. For example, Louis XII was jure uxoris Duke of Brittany, due to his wife Anne of Brittany.
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Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government where the monarch has the power to rule his or her land or country and its citizens freely, with no laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force.
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constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a constitution and is the sole source of political
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Motto
"There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is His messenger" (the Shahadah)
Anthem
"Aash Al Maleek"
"Long live the King"
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Anthem
Al-Nasheed Al-Watani


Capital
(and largest city) Kuwait City

Official languages Arabic
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Anthem
عاش المليك
The Royal Anthem of Jordan
   ("As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni") 1
Long live the King
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This page will detail the various styles used by royalty and nobility in Europe, in the final form arrived at in the nineteenth century. In earlier years, many different styles were used, with little standardization.
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Motto
"Plus Ultra"   (Latin)
"Further Beyond"
Anthem
"Marcha Real" 1
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Motto
"Je maintiendrai"   (French)
"Ik zal handhaven"   (Dutch)
"I shall stand fast"1
Anthem
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1910s  1920s  1930s  - 1940s -  1950s  1960s  1970s
1944 1945 1946 - 1947 - 1948 1949 1950

Year 1947 (MCMXLVII
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Motto
"Für Gott, Fürst und Vaterland"
"For God, Prince and Fatherland"
Anthem
Oben am jungen Rhein
"High Above the Young Rhine"


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Freistaat Bayern
Free State of Bavaria
Flag Coat of arms

Details
Location

Coordinates
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Administration
Country
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Prussia (German: (help info ) [1]; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Latvian: Prūsija
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