Andreas Achenbach paintings

Andreas Achenbach paintings
Alphonse Maria Mucha paintings

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.