By the end of this century, there will be only five Kings left - those of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs and England". This prediction was made in 1951 by King Farouk of Egypt after he had lost his throne, the latest in a long line of monarchies swept away since the Russian Revolution. The contagion was spreading to the Middle East and Asia - the tide seemed unstoppable. Not only has Farouk's prediction not come true, but six of the most stable countries in Europe have retained their monarchs to this day and in Spain the reinstatement of the monarch was part of the process of restoring democracy against an attempted army coup. "While monrachy is mainly a conservative force, helping to maintain stability, this very fundamental stability", the author argues, "enables the country to absorb more radical changes in its political and social structure than would otherwise by possible without risk of disorder".
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