Most of us are familiar with at least one royal family and their historic palaces, but there are more than 40 countries with monarchies across the globe, from Europe and Asia to Africa and beyond. 

From Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, head of the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world, to Abu Dhabi’s House of Nahyan, the globe’s richest rulers, each royal dynasty has awe-inspiring estates with captivating stories to match.

Click or scroll on to step inside the princely palaces of the world’s most illustrious royal families...