The Illusion of Power in Thrones and Presidencies

The United States was founded on a fairly straightforward idea: we didn’t want a king—nor do we have one today. And we’ve stuck with that ever since, more or less. But as modern presidencies accumulate power with each election cycle—and as monarchies around the world gradually turn into smiling tourist attractions—it’s worth asking: who’s really in charge?

Let’s compare the constitutional powers and controls over a true monarch versus those of the President of the United States. Spoiler alert: one’s a glorified mascot, and the other controls a nuclear football.

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Authority: Who Gets to Say “Because I Said So”?

Monarchs: Sovereignty by Birthright (and PR Team)

In an absolute monarchy—think Saudi Arabia or Brunei—the monarch holds unrestricted political power. There are no elections, no term limits, and no need to check Twitter to see if the base is happy. The monarch rules for life, unless they fall victim to a coup, palace intrigue, or a bored cousin with ambition and a Kalashnikov.

For example, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is both head of state and head of government. The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia (1992) effectively consolidates legislative, executive, and judicial authority in the monarchy (Article 5 & Article 44). That’s not separation of powers; that’s hoarding.

U.S. Presidents: “Leader of the Free World” (Unless Congress Says No)

The President of the United States derives authority from Article II of the U.S. Constitution. They are the commander-in-chief of the military, chief diplomat, and head of the executive branch. But—and this is a big but—Congress has the power of the purse, the power to declare war, and the ability to impeach if things go sideways.

So while the President can technically launch a drone strike without asking nicely, they can’t fund PBS without Congress. It’s a delicate balance of power—like trying to do yoga on a barstool.

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Legal Constraints: Chains, Crowns, and Congressional Hearings

Monarchs: Above the Law and Holding the Sword

In an absolute monarchy, the monarch’s word is quite literally law. There’s no Supreme Court to challenge it, no appellate court to delay it, and certainly no annoying Twitter thread demanding accountability. If the king says you’re a traitor, you are—no evidence, no trial, no due process.

Historically, monarchs could—and did—have anyone executed, imprisoned, or exiled on a whim. Entire families could be sold into slavery or have their estates seized simply for falling out of favor. In feudal systems like those of medieval Europe or the Ottoman Empire, royal decrees carried lethal weight. As the Roman maxim put it: Rex lex—the king is law.

One didn’t appeal the king’s justice; one survived it.

Let’s not forget King Henry VIII casually invented his own church to speed up the wife-disposal process. And if that’s not executive privilege, I don’t know what is.

Even today, in modern absolute monarchies like North Korea (which functions like a hereditary dictatorship), the ruler can eliminate opposition by decree, with no mechanism for legal redress. And yes, North Korea calls itself a “Democratic People’s Republic.” The sarcasm writes itself.

U.S. Presidents: Not Above the Law (Allegedly)

Presidents are not immune from prosecution—at least, not after they leave office. While in office, the Department of Justice maintains that a sitting president cannot be indicted (per the 1973 and 2000 Office of Legal Counsel memos). Impeachment, not criminal court, is the constitutional mechanism for accountability. Ask Nixon. Or Clinton. Or Trump (twice).

The President can be removed by a two-thirds Senate vote after impeachment by the House (Article I, Section 3). But let’s be honest—if you’ve got 67 Senators to agree on anything, you’ve already witnessed a constitutional miracle.

And while the President can order drone strikes, they can’t imprison you for mocking their haircut—at least not yet.

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Checks and Balances: Reality vs. Royal Fantasy

Monarchies: Checks? Balances? That’s Cute.

In absolute monarchies, checks and balances are largely theoretical. While there may be advisory councils (e.g., Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council), these bodies tend to have about as much real power as a Pentagon PowerPoint slide: technically present, practically useless.

In constitutional monarchies like Sweden or Japan, the monarch’s power is constrained to ceremonial duties. There, checks and balances exist—but for the elected officials, not the monarch. The king reads speeches written by politicians. That’s not power; that’s community theater.

Presidents: Death by Committee

The U.S. President is checked by three branches of government, a hostile press, watchdog agencies, the Freedom of Information Act, and about 330 million amateur legal scholars on social media.

If the President wants to do anything—pass a bill, raise taxes, appoint a federal judge—it goes through a process that would make a DMV line look like the Autobahn. Even executive orders can be overturned by the courts or the next guy with a pen and a different opinion.

And unlike monarchs, U.S. Presidents are on a timer: two terms, eight years max. Unless you’re Grover Cleveland and can stage a comeback—but good luck doing that in today’s political hellscape.

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Accountability: God, Voters, or Nobody?

Monarchs: Appointed by Divine Right or Historical Accident

Absolute monarchs answer to God, tradition, or, occasionally, an angry mob. The idea of popular accountability is absent by design. These are top-down systems, not grassroots movements. As the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia once said, “Our allegiance is to our religion, then to our homeland, and then to our king.”

Voter feedback doesn’t apply when there’s no ballot box.

Presidents: The 24/7 Performance Review

The American President, on the other hand, exists in a permanent job interview. Public approval is polled more frequently than the weather. Every sneeze, gaffe, or trip up the Air Force One staircase is a viral moment. That’s not leadership—that’s brand management under duress.

The President can be removed not just by impeachment but also via the 25th Amendment if deemed “unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.” Translation: If the Cabinet thinks you’ve gone full Roman Emperor, they can kick you out before you start appointing your horse to the Senate.

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Final Thoughts: Who’s Actually in Control?

Monarchs (at least the absolute kind) have clear, centralized power—but limited scalability and no real external checks unless you count revolution or international sanctions.

U.S. Presidents, meanwhile, operate within a Kafkaesque bureaucracy armed with nuclear weapons and Twitter accounts. It’s government by committee, with a figurehead who gets the blame when the DMV closes early.

As John Adams once wrote, “A government of laws, and not of men.” Then again, Adams never lived in a world with executive orders, surveillance drones, or cable news.

So next time someone complains about executive overreach or rants about “No Kings!” just remind them: At least our head of state doesn’t wear a crown, marry their cousin, or issue death warrants because someone spilled wine on the royal carpet.

Yet.

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Dave Chamberlin served 38 years in the USAF and Air National Guard as an aircraft crew chief, where he retired as a CMSgt. He has held a wide variety of technical, instructor, consultant, and leadership positions in his more than 40 years of civilian and military aviation experience. Dave holds an FAA Airframe and Powerplant license from the FAA, as well as a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Science. He currently runs his own consulting and training company and has written for numerous trade publications.

His true passion is exploring and writing about issues facing the military, and in particular, aircraft maintenance personnel.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.