The death of Queen Elizabeth II ended one of the world’s longest apprenticeships and saw Charles III ascend to the UK throne. To many outside the country, the focus on the succession of its constitutional monarchy may seem alien. Across the 19th and 20th century, most European countries took steps to abolish their monarchies permanently. Just 12 nations in Europe retain a form of monarchy to this day. They are Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the Vatican and the UK. In all of the countries with abolished monarchies, there are…