12 European countries at once have the state status of a monarchy - that is, forms of sole rule, inherited (with the exception of the Vatican and Andorra). Their heads are kings, princes or dukes. It is generally accepted that they have almost no real power and their existence is just a tribute to national traditions. But is it really so? And why is the standard of living in kingdoms or duchies generally much higher than in republics?
Jacques-Yves Cousteau instead of parliament
The following states are monarchies in Europe: Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Spain, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Andorra and the Vatican. The last two are distinguished by the originality of the form of government. Andorra has two rulers at once: the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell from Spain, according to tradition, both have the titles of princes of this state. The monarch of the Vatican, the Pope, is a person elected for a life term, but in his hands absolute power is concentrated - legislative, judicial and executive.
The rest of the monarchies are considered parliamentary or constitutional - that is, the power of the supreme ruler there is limited by the constitution, as well as by the decisions of elected bodies.
However, this does not mean at all that the monarch does not have political weight in his country. The most striking example is the dwarf states: the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Duchy of Luxembourg, as well as the Principality of Monaco. It would seem that, surrounded by much more influential neighboring countries in the international arena, they are destined for economic stagnation. But the activities of their rulers, aimed at developing tourism and attracting foreign capital, led to the fact that the standard of living here is higher than in the leading states of Europe.
Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1959 attempted economic reforms in the country. His plans, submitted to the National Council (Parliament), included two main tasks. Firstly, it was necessary to rebuild the railway passing through the principality, removing it underground and making the residence of residents and tourists comfortable. Secondly, the prince proposed to modernize the Oceanographic Institute and invite Jacques-Yves Cousteau to the post of its director - according to the monarch, this step brought Monaco to the level of international scientific recognition.
The National Council refused to allocate the amount necessary for the reforms. And Prince Rainier III, in response, canceled the constitution and introduced sole rule of the country. And in 1962, after the successful implementation of the proposed measures, he again made Monaco a constitutional monarchy.
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That is, the power of a titled ruler may by no means be fake.
When the king is an official
Among the current monarchs, the queen of Great Britain has the most significant powers. Legally, it has the right to appoint the prime minister and members of the government, dissolve parliament, repeal the law, and declare war on any state. True, the queen does not use these rights for the time being - but the example of Prince Rainier III shows that such a possibility exists.
And the most invisible power of the monarch in Sweden. Its current King Charles XVI Gustav is called the only official in the world whose position is inherited. Even the coronation of the highest person was replaced by a visit to the local parliament, the Riksdag, whose head, unlike the monarch, is allowed to dissolve the country's government. The monarch does not sign laws and cannot even use the attributes of power that are kept in the museum. The king has only three responsibilities: representative meetings with heads of foreign states (at which no documents are signed), awarding Nobel prizes and delivering a New Year's speech to the people of Sweden. For this, the monarch receives a salary corresponding to the salary of a high-level official.
Once, during a visit to Brunei, Carl XVI Gustav publicly spoke about the sultan of this state, noting his closeness to the people and calling the country more open than many others. This statement caused a real scandal in Sweden - it was recognized as political, that is, one to which the king, according to the country's constitution, has no right.
Why rulers are loved
Nevertheless, the inhabitants of every monarchical European country love their ruler and do not hesitate to express this love. Photos of dignitaries adorn the front pages of newspapers. The stadiums cheer when they appear in the stands. Conducted opinion polls show that more than 66% of the inhabitants of countries with this form of government support the preservation of the monarchy.
Why is this happening? There are three main reasons. First of all, the well-being of the residents. According to the World Bank, the list of leading countries in terms of GDP per capita is headed by the Duchy of Luxembourg ($ 101.4 thousand). Other European monarchies, although inferior to the leaders, are significantly ahead of the continental average. In addition, it is in the monarchical states that the best social security systems operate. For example, in Sweden, all expenses of citizens for medical care (including dental services) are covered by insurance payments, the unemployed receive an allowance in the amount of 80% of wages, pension contributions are not collected from individuals, etc.
The second reason is stability. There is no abrupt change of political course here. The country's elite understands that the supreme power is secured in one hand, and does not fight for it, but works in the interests of the population.
Finally, the third reason is the unity of the nation rallied around the monarch. When in 2007 a real parliamentary war broke out in Belgium between Flemish and Walloon deputies, only the authority of King Albert II and the desire of all the inhabitants of the country to be under his rule saved the state from collapse. At the same time, there are many examples when the fall of the monarchy led to a civil war - as it was in Russia after 1917 or in Nepal at the end of the 20th century. Conversely, in 1975, Spain, which went through the dictatorship, revived the monarchy - and the civil war remained in the past.
Secret club for the elite
Among many political scientists, there is an opinion that European monarchies are a kind of closed club, whose members largely decide the fate of the whole world.
This version is not without foundation. Some of the European crowned heads are extremely wealthy, and money gives them the opportunity to influence world politics and economics. According to Forbes magazine, the fortune of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is $ 6 billion, Duke Henri of Luxembourg - 4.7 billion, Prince of Monaco Albert II - 2.5 billion. The British Queen Elizabeth II has at her disposal about 12 billion dollars, but if you calculate the cost of her palaces and castles, then this figure literally rises to heaven - 94.6 billion. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (ruled until 2013) owns real estate and shares in companies totaling $ 10 billion.
But money is not the main thing here. It is much more important that many monarchs of Europe do indeed belong to the "club of the elite". It has the official name of the Bilderberg Club, since its first meeting at the initiative of the Royal family of the Netherlands was held at the Hotel Bilderberg in the Dutch city of Osterbeek.
Currently, the club unites about 400 people from Europe, Asia and America. These are the most influential people in politics, business and the media. Club meetings are held once a year, usually attended by 120-130 people. The meetings are held in complete secrecy, the press is not allowed there, no protocols are kept, photography and video filming is prohibited, no press statements are provided. It is believed that the members of the club belong to the world elite and at their meetings determine how the rest of the population of our planet will live.
According to extremely scarce information from journalists, in different years the princes of Monaco and Liechtenstein, as well as the king of Spain and the queen of Belgium and the Netherlands, took an active part in the meetings of the Bilderberg Club. In addition to them, such influential personalities as US President Bill Clinton, representatives of the Rockefeller clan, British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, as well as Henry Kissinger, Bill Gates and other leading representatives of the ruling elite of the world community were present at the meetings.
Journalists assume that all the most important political and economic events in the world took place in accordance with the decisions of such meetings - the Balkan crisis; rise and then fall in oil prices; invasion of Iraq and Syria, etc. The combined influence of these people is so strong that together they are able to decide the fate of all mankind. The Western press even published articles that Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher were forced to end their political careers due to their refusal to follow the instructions of the Bilderberg Club, and American President John F. Kennedy was killed because he wanted to liquidate this organization altogether.
Whether it was really so - is known only to the members of the secret community. But it is important that it includes many of the current monarchs of Europe. And these people are unlikely to gather just to talk - their time is too expensive. This means that European kings, dukes and princes have much more significant power than that limited by the constitutions of their countries.
Elena Landa