The monarchy seen in the franchise operates as an absolute monarchy, in which the current monarch exercises supreme governing authority as both the head of state and head of government. In the franchise, the animals of the Pride Lands serve as the subjects of the alpha lion, who, in turn, serves as the monarch. Succession to the crown is hereditary, and the monarchy appears to have absolute (or equal) primogeniture, meaning that no gender is preferred over the other. However, like in nature and as seen with Scar in the movie, a succession may occur due to a coup d'état.