There is a cause/causation issue BUT it does so happen to be that these countries have a: high living standard, little inequality, rank high on press freedom,

There is a cause/causation issue BUT it does so happen to be that these countries have a: high living standard, little inequality, rank high on press freedom, high upward mobility. These monarchies also have very little to no power, so an argument against them, other than the financial burden, usually doesn't hold.