11 Monarchs Who Were Never Crowned
Not every ruler who inherited a throne made it to a grand coronation ceremony.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
Monarchs have symbolized power through elaborate coronations, but some never received that final rite of passage. Wars, political turmoil, and even sudden deaths often cut short the traditional crowning moment. Here are 11 monarchs who ruled or nearly ruled without ever being crowned.
1. 1. Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
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Edward VIII ascended the British throne in January 1936 following the death of his father, King George V. Charismatic, modern, and deeply independent, he quickly became one of the most controversial monarchs in British history. His romance with Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, caused an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
2. 2. Lady Jane Grey of England
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Lady Jane Grey’s story is one of the most tragic in English royal history. A teenage noblewoman with strong Protestant ties, she was manipulated into accepting the crown after the death of her cousin, King Edward VI, in 1553. For nine brief days, she was proclaimed “Queen of England,” ruling from the Tower of London.
3. 3. Louis XIX of France
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Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, better known as Louis XIX, holds one of the strangest records in royal history. When his father, King Charles X of France, abdicated the throne during the July Revolution of 1830, Louis technically became king. However, his reign lasted only about 20 minutes before he, too, signed an abdication in favor of his nephew, the young Duke of Bordeaux.
4. 4. Edward V of England
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Edward V’s story remains one of the most haunting mysteries in England’s royal past. At just twelve years old, he became king upon the death of his father, Edward IV, in 1483. Before his coronation could be arranged, Edward and his younger brother, Richard, were placed in the Tower of London, supposedly for their safety.
5. 5. James Francis Edward Stuart (The Old Pretender)
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James Francis Edward Stuart, known to history as “The Old Pretender,” was the son of the deposed King James II of England. Born into exile in 1688, he grew up believing it was his divine right to reclaim the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
6. 6. Napoleon II of France
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Born to immense promise, Napoleon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, known as Napoleon II, was declared Emperor of the French at just four years old, following his father’s abdication in 1815. His reign, however, was purely theoretical; the Allies refused to recognize him, and he never exercised any real power.
7. 7. Mary II of England (before joint rule)
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Mary Stuart’s path to the throne was anything but straightforward. The daughter of James II, she found herself at the center of a political storm when her father’s Catholic policies alienated Protestant England. When James fled the country during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Parliament invited Mary and her husband, William of Orange, to take the throne together.
8. 8. Philip V of Spain (first abdication)
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Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, shocked his court in 1724 when he abdicated in favor of his teenage son, Louis I. Exhausted and suffering from mental instability, Philip sought peace and retreat from royal responsibility. Louis reigned briefly but never underwent a coronation ceremony before dying of smallpox just seven months later.
9. 9. Empress Matilda of England
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Empress Matilda was the daughter of King Henry I of England and a woman who came closer to wearing the English crown than any other uncrowned monarch. After her father’s death, Matilda’s claim was challenged by her cousin Stephen of Blois, sparking a brutal civil war known as “The Anarchy.” For a brief time in 1141, she controlled London and was proclaimed “Lady of the English.”
10. 10. Ivan VI of Russia
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Ivan VI’s life was marked by tragedy from the very beginning. Proclaimed Emperor of Russia as an infant in 1740, he reigned under a regency that was quickly overthrown by Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. The baby tsar was imprisoned, hidden from the public, and erased from official history.
11. 11. Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie)
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Few uncrowned royals inspire as much romantic fascination as Charles Edward Stuart, famously known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie.” In 1745, he launched a daring rebellion to reclaim the British throne for the exiled Stuart line. With charisma and military skill, he rallied Highland clans and briefly captured Edinburgh, even declaring his father king.