The elected king or queen from the Royal House of Naboo was known as the Monarch of Naboo. This monarchy governed the human inhabitants of the planet and were elected to serve a term of two years, with the possibility of being re-elected for one additional term. It was common for the people of Naboo to elect young women into the position, as they were believed to possess a pure, childlike wisdom that adults lacked. In theory, anyone could be elected to the position. To protect their loved ones and uphold tradition, monarchs of Naboo would adopt new identities, typically changing their last names, when campaigning for the position. However, some monarchs were more successful in maintaining their anonymity than others. Upon completion of their term, they could either revert to their original identity or continue using their new name.
Notable Queens of Naboo include Padmé Amidala, who served two terms, with her first term coinciding with the Invasion of Naboo; Jamillia, who served prior to the start of the Clone Wars; Neeyutnee, who served during the Clone Wars; Apailana, who served in the early period of the Galactic Empire; Dalné, who served around 3 BBY; and Sosha Soruna, who served around the period of time following the Battle of Endor.
A queen reigned as the monarch of Naboo around 382 BBY. This particular queen was the owner of a yacht that the gambling man Axel Greylark desired to purchase using his inheritance. Preceding Amidala was Queen Sanandrassa, who was preceded by Réillata. Réillata served a single term before successfully campaigning for and securing a second term following Amidala's time in office. The Naboo Royal Advisory Council provided support to the monarch. The appropriate way to address a former queen of Naboo was "M'Lady."
While the monarch held real power and actively participated in governing the planet and its people, the rise of the Galactic Empire diminished the position to that of a mere figurehead. All significant authority was transferred to Moff Quarsh Panaka, the newly appointed official. Despite her deep resentment of her reduced authority, Queen Dalné reluctantly complied rather than challenge the Empire and risk potential Imperial retaliation for defiance.
The title Monarch of Naboo was initially introduced in the 1999 film, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
According to the 2016 reference book, Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded, King Ars Veruna was the monarch of Naboo before Padmé Amidala. Star Wars: Complete Locations (2016) further states that he governed for a period of 13 years. The Tarkin novel (2014) also mentions that Naboo was governed by a king fifteen years before the rise of the Galactic Empire and the fifty-fourth issue of the magazine Star Wars Helmet Collection (2018) also lists him as monarch before his assassination. In contrast, the Queen's Shadow novel (2019) indicates that monarchs are limited to two two-year terms. Its prequel, Queen's Peril (2020), identifies Amidala's predecessors as Queens Sanandrassa and Réillata, who each served a single term. In Legends, King Ars Veruna originally served as the monarch of Naboo for 13 years before being killed by Darth Plagueis.
Queen's Shadow (2019) established the two-year term length for Naboo monarchs. However, "Naboo," a 2020 issue of the French Star Wars Encyclopedia, claims that a term lasted four years, as was the case in Legends continuity. This article operates under the assumption that the previously established term length of two years is accurate.