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  1. Depends on what you mean by influence. (Under an aristocratic family, of course, having a high title (starting from count) is an ancient family.)

    Arab sheikhs-of course, both on the politics of their countries and on business. Descendants of the Russian aristocracy have no influence on anything (except for the new nobilitySechin, Shuvalov, Peskov Street, Rotenbergs and further down the list).

    European birth rates are moderate. Ruling dynasties usually affect only the image of their countries: the Danish Glucksburgs live quietly (with the exception of the hysterical Prince Henrik, the husband of Queen Margrethe II), the Norwegian ones too, the Swedish Bernadots also seem not to be noticed in any influence on anything, the same in the Netherlands. It's hard for me to say much about Liechtenstein and Monaco, as I don't know much about them. Belgium and Spain are another matter: king Baudouin refused to sign the law on the legalization of abortion, and for a few days resigned (for two reasons – he was a devout Catholic, and none of the pregnancies Queen Fabiola not ended well); the king of Spain Juan Carlos successfully defeated coup in the beginning of his reign, and in our time, he and his daughter Infanta Cristina caught in scandals in connection with hunting and corruption. In Great Britain, in addition to the Windsor dynasty (representative and public functions), there is an entire House of Lords – the upper house of parliament consists of aristocrats. In addition, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has long attracted investment in the country (although he also got into scandals). Probably the last hereditary aristocrat who really influenced the life of Britain and the world was Winston Churchill, whose ancestors, the Dukes of Marlborough, were influential even under the Stuarts and Hanoverians (Margaret Thatcher received the title of baroness after the premiership). Japanese Imperial Familyonly a symbol of the country, the emperor is not even the head of state.

    The Greek Glucksburgs and Romanovs now have no influence on anything, like the last Romanian king Mihai (however, he withdrew his country from the Axis) or Savoy and Bourbon-Parma, but the last Bulgarian king is a significant figure in local politics, was repeatedly elected to parliament and even served as prime minister. The Hohenzollerns do business in the field of technology, I don't know about the French Bourbons and Bonaparts, but the Habsburgs left a serious mark – the last emperor Charles I was beatified (beatified including peacekeeping during the First world war), his widow, the Empress CITA achieved the separation of Austria from Germany after world war II, and his son, Archduke Otto – refused to support Hitler and was forced to emigrate, he is one of the masterminds of modern Christian democracy and the European Union, European Parliament Deputy; modern Habsburgs work in public organizations, one of them even wanted to run for President of Austria, but has not received the required number of signatures.

    Of course, these are all monarchs and their descendants, but do we know at least one brilliant surname that works in politics or has built up a powerful business? Yes, aristocrats can be in good positions in various corporations or work in the apparatus of the EU, UN, NATO and other similar structures, but often only because of a big name that can help develop the business.

    There were many princes in Georgia and Poland, many princes in Germany, many families in France and Italy-but they are not well known. Perhaps the only exceptions to the general rule of invisibility and non-interference: 1) Count Christoph Schoenborn, Archbishop of Vienna, Primate of Austria and Cardinal: disciple of Benedict XVI, consistent liberal, experienced courtier, very influential person in the Catholic Church, especially under Francis; 2) Marquis Juan Antonio Samaranch, former chairman of the International Olympic Committee (although he received the title only in 1991). Also Spanish grandees were the artist Salvador Dali and the founder of Opus Dei, St. John the Baptist. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer (passed the title to his brother) – and their influence on the world is undeniable.

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