Do the monarch's of england, japan, denmark, monaco, brunei, jordan, nederlands, sweden have any real power

Question

Do the monarch of any of these countries have any real power

UK

Belgium

Denmark

Sweden

Norway

Spain

Netherlands

Andorra

Luxembourg

Lichtenstein

Monaco

Japan

Bahrain

Jordan

Brunei

Answer 1

The monarchs of Japan and Saudi Arabia have real power. All of the others are just figure heads.

Answer 2

There are currently only four states in the world that still retains a rather absolute monarchy, they are Brunei, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Vatican City.

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 some laws or legally-organized direct opposition in force. Although some religious authority may be able to discourage the monarch from some acts and the sovereign is expected to act according to custom, in an absolute monarchy there is no constitution or body of law above what is decreed by the sovereign (king or queen). Absolute monarchy puts total trust in well-bred and well-trained monarchs raised for the role from birth. An absolute monarch has total power over his or her people and land, including the aristocracy and sometimes the clergy. In practice, absolute monarchs have often found their power limited—generally by one or other of those groups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_mo...

All other nations that still retain its monarchy are structured as a "constitutional monarchy". A constitutional monarchy or limited 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 power.

Today constitutional monarchies are mostly associated with Western European countries such as The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg, Monaco, Liechtenstein and Sweden. In such cases it is the prime minister who holds the day-to-day powers of governance, while the King or Queen retains only minor to no powers. Different nations grant different powers to their monarchs. In the Netherlands, Denmark and in Belgium, for example, the Monarch formally appoints a representative to preside over the creation of a coalition government following a parliamentary election, while in Norway the King chairs special meetings of the cabinet.

The British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and holds the now constitutional position of head of state. According to convention, the Queen's powers are exercised upon the advice of her prime minister. She does however possess certain reserve powers which she may exercise at her own discretion.

In the UK, the Queen (or King, when there is a male monarch) has numerous theoretical personal prerogatives. In practice, however, with the exception of the appointment of a prime minister, which is done with every prime minister, there are few circumstances in modern British government where these could be justifiably exercised; they have rarely been exercised in the last century. These powers could be exercised in an emergency such as a constitutional crisis. The monarch's personal prerogatives are:

- The refusal to dissolve Parliament when requested by the Prime Minister.

- To appoint a Prime Minister of her own choosing.

- The dismissal of a Prime Minister and his Government on the Monarch's own authority.

- The refusal of the Royal Assent.

- The refusal of the "Queen's Consent," where direct monarchical assent is required for a bill affecting, directly or by implication, the prerogative, hereditary revenues—including ultimus haeres, treasure trove, and bona vacantia—or the personal property or interests of the Crown to be heard in Parliament.

It has long been established in the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom that political power is ultimately exercised by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, of which the Sovereign is a non-partisan component, along with the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Thus, as the modern British monarchy is a constitutional one, the Sovereign's role is in practice limited to non-partisan functions (such as being the fount of honour).

In practice, political power is exercised today through Parliament and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The sovereign also holds the title of Supreme Governor of the established Church of England. The monarch holds a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, as well as regular audiences with other members of the Cabinet. The monarch may express his or her views, but, as a constitutional ruler, must ultimately accept the Prime Minister's and Cabinet's decisions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_mon...

For a list of all constitutional monarchy nations visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutio...