MALAYSIA was dominated by Great Britain in the early part of the 20th century. Parts of Malaysia were occupied by Japan during World War II. After the war, Britain returned to power and worked to grant independence to its Malaysian territories. The federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963. Nine of its states have constitutional monarchs. Malaysia's head of state is chosen from among these hereditary rulers and serves a five-year term. The current paramount ruler, or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is the sultan of Selangor, Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
MONACO: The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco for more than 700 years. The country gained its current constitution in 1911 during the reign of Prince Albert I. He was succeeded in 1922 by his son, French army general Prince Louis II. Louis died in 1949 and was succeeded by his grandson, Rainier III. The tiny principality became world famous in 1956 when Prince Rainier married American movie star Grace Kelly. Their only son, Prince Albert, is the heir to the throne. No mere figurehead, the monarch wields a great deal of power in Monaco.
MOROCCO has been ruled by the Alaovite dynasty since 1660. In the early 20th century, the European powers vied for power in Morocco. Sultan Abdul Aziz IV displeased Moroccans by cooperating with the French and was deposed in 1908. His brother, Abdul Hafid, took the throne but abdicated after the kingdom became a French protectorate in 1912. He was succeeded by his brother Yusuf. Yusuf's son Mohammed V, who became sultan in 1927, was a widely respected nationalist. He was deposed by the French in 1953 but they returned him to his throne in 1955. Morocco became independent the following year and Mohammed took the title of king. His son, King Hassan II, died in 1999. The current monarch is Hassan's son, King Mohammed VI. The king has complete control over the government.
NEPAL: At the beginning of the 20th century, the king of Nepal had little real power. Instead the country was controlled by a family called the Ranas. Democracy was instituted in the early 1950s with the approval of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram, who wished to end the rule of the Ranas. Tribhuvan became a constitutional monarch, but took control of the government. His son and successor, King Mahendra, grabbed more power and ended up an absolute monarch. In 1990 Mahendra's son, King Birenda, bowed to pressure from his subjects and proclaimed a new constitution which returned the kingdom to democracy. The king remains the head of state.
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