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a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch.
Compare , .
supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.
Contemporary Examples

Finally, even those with the ear of the British monarchy have benefited from life in Londongrad.
Britain’s KGB Sugar Daddy Michael Weiss March 6, 2014

James Bond and the monarchy—not to mention “The Eton Boating Song” … How can anyone call that lefty propaganda?
20 Reasons to Feel Good About the 2012 Olympics in London The Telegraph July 29, 2012

The threat of civil unrest against the monarchy, led by al Qaeda, could be the leverage for access to this network.
Saudi Arabia: Friend or Foe? Senator Bob Graham July 10, 2011

This latest dispatch from the frontlines follows his hero John Well as he goes undercover in Saudi Arabia to help the monarchy.
2011’s Most Anticipated Books The Daily Beast January 1, 2011

Did the French monarchy end not with a bang—or a whimper—but a smile?
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles William O’Connor December 13, 2014

Historical Examples

Editors vaguely account this man the creator of the Prussian monarchy, which has since grown so large in the world.
The World’s Greatest Books, Vol XII. Arthur Mee

When did Our Lady of Lourdes mean to bring back the monarchy?
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete Emile Zola

What mysterious enemy pursued him, or rather pursued the monarchy like a hellhound?
The Hero of the People Alexandre Dumas

Practically all the nations of the monarchy were represented in the fortress.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII) Various

At bottom, the country is republican, and its monarchy is a sort of crowned presidency void of regal pomp.
Holland, v. 1 (of 2) Edmondo de Amicis

noun (pl) -chies
a form of government in which supreme authority is vested in a single and usually hereditary figure, such as a king, and whose powers can vary from those of an absolute despot to those of a figurehead
a country reigned over by a king, prince, or other monarch
n.

“state ruled by monarchical government,” mid-14c.; “rule by one person,” late 14c.; from Old French monarchie “sovereignty, absolute power” (13c.), from Late Latin monarchia, from Greek monarkhia “absolute rule,” literally “ruling of one,” from monos “alone” (see mono-) + arkhein “to rule” (see archon).
monarchy [(mon-uhr-kee, mon-ahr-kee)]

A system of government in which one person reigns, usually a king or queen. The authority, or crown, in a monarchy is generally inherited. The ruler, or monarch, is often only the head of state, not the head of government. Many monarchies, such as Britain and Denmark, are actually governed by parliaments. (See absolute monarchy and constitutional monarchy.)