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Royalty in the 20th Century (Part 7)

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THAILAND. At the dawn of the century, Thailand (then called Siam) was ruled by King Chulalongkorn, who was the son of the king portrayed by Yul Brynner in "The King and I." Chulalongkorn abolished slavery and otherwize modernized the country. He died in 1910 and was succeeded by two of his sons, one after the other -- first Vajiravudh and then, in 1925, Prajadhipok. In 1935 the throne passed to Prajadhipok's nephew Ananda Mahidol. When he died unexpectedly in 1946, his younger brother became king. That brother, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is still alive and has reigned longer than any other living monarch, although his real power is limited.

TONGA became a British protectorate in 1900, during the reign of King George Tupou II, and didn't attain independence until 1970. The king died in 1918 and his popular daughter, Queen Salote Tupou III, inherited the throne. She reigned until her death in 1965. The current king, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, is Salote's son. His power is almost absolute.

THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al Qaiwain. At the start of the 20th century the region was under British protection, but when the British withdrew in 1971 the UAE was formed. Each of the federation's seven sheikhdoms is ruled by its own emir, who together comprise the UAE's Supreme Council of Rulers. Every five years this council elects one of its own to serve as the nation's president. So far the winner has always been Abu Dhabi's monarch, Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan.

THE UNITED KINGDOM: Queen Victoria died in 1901 and was succeeded by her son, Edward VII. It was Edward VII's son, King George V, who changed the royal family's German name, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, to the more English sounding Windsor during the First World War. George V's eldest son and successor, King Edward VIII, soon abdicated to marry a divorced woman. The throne passed to his brother, George VI, a shy man who did his best to inspire his people during World War II. When he died in 1952, his eldest daughter became Queen Elizabeth II. She still reigns today as queen of the United Kingdom and other realms and territories including Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, and Jamaica.

For more information about monarchies worldwide, visit these sites:

The World of Royalty
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The World's Reigning Monarchs

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