Can Royals Really Have More than One Wife? – King of Thailand (and More) Prove Some Can!

Can members of royal families have more than one wife? Well, the answer to that question actually depends on which royal family, and which culture, one is talking about. The practice of polygamy (marrying more than one spouse at a time) is very old indeed. Historically, the Hebrew Scriptures give several examples such as Israel’s King Solomon who had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (a copious number indeed!).

Islam specifically advocates for the practice of polygamy within the pages of the Qur’an. Indeed, its founder, the Prophet Muhammad, although not considered a royal, had eleven wives, and many of his followers including royals such as King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia have had multiple wives. (King Saud who died in 2015 is believed to have had over thirty wives.)

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Then there are certain African royal families one might take into account. For example, King Abumbi II of Cameroon is known to have more than one hundred wives. Perhaps strange to some, the royals of Cameroon have a tradition that isn’t carried out in other countries. In Cameroon, when the king dies, all of his wives and concubines are inherited by his successor! Whoever that man happens to be, he not only takes his predecessors’ wives as his own, but he is allowed to marry new ones as well!

Yet another modern example of a king having more than one wife can be found in Thailand. Maha Vajiralongkorn, the king of Thailand has four wives altogether as well as a harem of at least twenty women. In fact, Maha Vajiralongkorn spends most of his days in Germany and it’s well-known that he brings his many women with him.

Interestingly enough, during the current Coronavirus outbreak, the king of Thailand was able to secure a hotel for himself and his harem alone. Apparently, the German government allowed this for Maha Vajiralongkorn because, “the guests are a single, homogeneous group of people with no fluctuation.” Talk about the Thai king and his ladies getting to have their own, private party!

What about European royals though? Are there examples of European royalty marrying more than one woman? What about the King of England? The Prince of Wales? The Queen of Scots? First, one thing to notice in all of the examples above is that with the exception of certain Islamic traditions, the only royals participating in polygamous marriages are the kings themselves.

Secondly, while European and British kings and other royal family members have indeed married more than one woman (think of Henry VIII), like most people who marry then divorce and then remarry, these are all marriages taken one at a time. In other words, European and British royals who have married more than once are simply serial monogamists!

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It’s worth noting that polygamy has been banned in Great Britain since the 1600s although the actual laws have had minor adjustments down through the centuries. The same is largely true for most of Europe except for Sweden. However, even in Sweden, one does not find examples of royals with multiple, concurrent marriages. The truth is, across the globe, royals with more than one wife are a rare phenomenon.

So! There one has it. Yes, some royals can and do enjoy legal relationships with more than one woman. Others, like the majority of royal watchers and fans, do not!