Royal records from around the world: longest heir, most babies and mere 20-minute reign

The royal families across the world are often cultural zeitgeists in the public scene. While not as politically influential as they once were, these monarchs and their families throughout history have been the centre of moments of infamy, joy, and general interest.

While the British Royal Family may make the most rounds in the Western world, members of royal families all over the world have record-breaking achievements.  

Longest heir-apparent (current) 

Before one can be king or queen, they must be declared heir to the throne. Some are left waiting for years or even decades. However, presently no member of a royal family has been the heir apparent for longer than Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei who has claimed that title for close to 51 years since his birth on 17 February 1974.

Bolkiah’s father, Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, has been on the throne since 5 October 1967.  

Notably, the longest heir apparent of all time was King Charles III, son of Queen Elizabeth II who waited 70 years 214 days for the throne.  

Most names for a historical royal

Picture of Don Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón.  Image from the collections of the National Library of Spain.

Names often have significant meaning, and length is often a factor of what makes a name unique. Some people have no middle names and others have two. Some, like Spanish nobleman Don Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón, have 88 names, the most ever recorded for a royal. 

Don Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón, whose real name was Alfonso María Isabel Francisco Eugenio Gabriel Pedro Sebastián Pelayo Fernando Francisco de Paula Pío Miguel Rafael Juan José Joaquín Ana Zacarias Elisabeth Simeón Tereso Pedro Pablo Tadeo Santiago Simón Lucas Juan Mateo Andrés Bartolomé Ambrosio Geronimo Agustín Bernardo Candido Gerardo Luis-Gonzaga Filomeno Camilo Cayetano Andrés-Avelino Bruno Joaquín-Picolimini Felipe Luis-Rey-de-Francia Ricardo Esteban-Protomártir Genaro Nicolás Estanislao-de-Koska Lorenzo Vicente Crisostomo Cristano Darío Ignacio Francisco-Javier Francisco-de-Borja Higona Clemente Esteban-de-Hungría Ladislado Enrique Ildefonso Hermenegildo Carlos-Borromeo Eduardo Francisco-Régis Vicente-Ferrer Pascual Miguel-de-los-Santos Adriano Venancio Valentín Benito José-Oriol Domingo Florencio Alfacio Benére Domingo-de-Silos Ramón Isidro Manuel Antonio Todos-los-Santos de Borbón y Borbón (b. 1866 - d.1934) was the great-great grandson of King Charles III of Spain. He never claimed the throne and married a commoner.  

Royal with the most fan clubs  

Often as central figures from their country of origin, royals can develop quite the fan base. Some of these fans can form clubs to express their adoration for the figure.

Presently, the United Kingdom’s Prince William has the most recorded fan clubs for a royal, with 48. This is a record he has held since 1 April 2001 and his popularity has hardly waned with a recent report ranking him the third most popular royal, only behind his late grandmother, Elizabeth II, former queen of England and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.  

Most children fathered by a monogamous monarch

Royal families come in all shapes and sizes. When it comes to parenthood, whether it be through mistresses or other circumstances, in historical contexts, male royals can father a significant number of children.

One monarch, Prince Hartmann of Liechtenstein, holds the record for most children fathered in a monogamous context. The prince and his bride Countess Elisabeth zu Salm-Reifferscheidt had 21 children together.  

Largest royal family 

The size of a royal family varies from country to country. Between grandparents, cousins and more, it does not take much of a push for these families to become large in size. The royal family of Saudi Arabia’s house of Al-Saud is a prime example of this with over 30,000 royal relatives and 4,000 royal princes in the family tree as of 2002, the largest of any recorded royal family in history.

The specific house was developed in 1932 under King Abdul Aziz. He himself had 44 sons by 17 wives. Ever since the former king’s death in 1953, four of his sons have held the mantle of ruler. Presently, Aziz’s 25th son, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is the king. However, because of a mixture of health and political problems, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the current King’s seventh son, is acting as a de facto ruler.

Most royals killed in a popular revolution  

Just as the size of a family tree can grow, it can crumble just as quickly. Being a royal figure comes with controversy, some of which can lead to revolution. 

Infamously, the Romanovs, Russia’s royal family in the early twentieth century saw 15 killings between 1918 and 1919. These killings included Tsar Nicholas II and his immediate family.  

This revolt against the imperial family came about due to tensions between the Bolsheviks, who followed Marxist ideology, and the royal family over choices and policy made by the tsar. Also, the fallout of World War I heightened distrust the public had toward the family.  

Longest reign 

Picture of King Louis XIV. Photo credit: Wikipedia/ Louvre

As medical advancements are made and other means for extending life are made, longer reigns are to be expected. However, the royal with the longest uninterrupted reign ever recorded was not a recent monarch, but actually King Louis XIV who ruled from 14 May 1643 to 1 September 1715 for a total of 72 years 110 days. The king is known for creating the Palace of Versailles.  

Shortest reign 

Picture of Crown Prince Luis Filipe. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Unlike Louis XIV’s rule, the Crown Prince Luis Filipe of Portugal’s reign was already ending before it began. That is because he was shot during the same Lisbon-based assassination attempt that killed his father on 1 February 1908. Technically, the 20-year-old was the King of Portugal for around 20 minutes before he succumbed to his wounds. 

Royal fashion is often influential, and no bit of royal dress is as widely viewed as that of the outfits selected for royal weddings.

In 2004, Queen Letizia of Spain’s wedding dress became quite popular due to its impressive price tag of £6 million ($10.7 million), the most expensive royal wedding dress.

The dress had real gold within its embroidery and had a train that was 14 ft 8 in long (4.5 m). The dress was designed by royal couturier Manuel Petergaz. It was seen by the close to 1,200 guests present at the wedding.

Royal families often seem so unattainable to everyday people that they become spectacles. The history of these well-documented records proves their relevancy even as their power politically wanes.

Header image: Enrique/Pixabay