Are Monarchies' Days Numbered?

March 1 -- Shortly before he was forced from power in 1952, Egypt's last king remarked, "There will soon be only five kings left — the kings of England, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs."

A half-century later, Farouk I's prediction may seem off the mark — but not by much.

Of the roughly 200 countries in the world, only about two dozen remain monarchies. It's a far cry from the 19th-century, when kings and nobles were the dominant form of government.

The 20th century was the era of the common man, and it was also the era of republics, when most of the world's nations moved to vest supreme power into the hands of citizens and their vote.

Monarchies are increasingly being looked upon as anachronisms. But they vary so widely in characterization that it's hardly possible to determine whether any of those remaining can or will disappear.

They exist in places as familiar as Spain and as far away as Samoa in the South Pacific.

They are also a part of countries as isolated as Bhutan, the "hermit kingdom" atop the Himalayas and as cosmopolitan as Belgium, headquarters for NATO and the European Union.

There are also differences in the nature of monarchies and the degree to which rulers hold power: Some are absolute monarchs, others share power in constitutional monarchies, and still others are mere ornaments of state.

The Future of the House of Windsor

Britain, host to the world's most famous royals, is a constitutional monarchy. There's little question that the House of Windsor has lost much of its luster since the death in 1997 of Princess Diana.

But Diana and her troubled marriage to Prince Charles weren't the only causes of the downward spiral. The antics of "Fergie," now ex-wife of Prince Andrew, provided plenty of fodder for the tabloids. And the steady stream of gossip continues. Britons speculate on the future of Charles and longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, have raised questions about whether royals can pursue outside careers without creating conflicts of interest.

Amid the scandals, more and more people have also come to question the fiscal rationale for supporting a royal family.

Yet a poll cited by the London-based Economist says only one in five Britons would call for the abolition of the monarchy.

"There is no danger of monarchy in Britain disappearing," said Ronald Linker, a retired professor of history at Penn State University.