Queen Elizabeth II ruled Britain since 1953, becoming the longest reigning monarch in the world. As a part of the royalties, she had seen immense power back in the 1950s, and some of those perks might have disappeared today, but the royal family still enjoys multiple benefits as compared to the citizens.
The most common legal perk known by most is that the Queen was exempted from paying the taxes, but apart from that, there are other laws that she wasn’t liable to follow. Here are ten laws that the Queen didn’t have to worry about.
Read More: Is Queen Elizabeth II More Powerful Than The British Government And Prime Minister?
Exempted From Paying Taxes
All the earning classes of the United Kingdom have to pay taxes, but the Queen and the Royal Family are exempted from it. However, the Queen had been voluntarily paying taxes since 1992. The taxes she usually paid were on income, assets, and gains, that were not used for official purposes.
Queen Elizabeth II Could Break The Speeding Limits
The speeding limits didn’t apply to the Queen’s vehicles. According to the Road Traffic Regulation Act, speed limits do not apply to police, fire, ambulance, and other enforcement agency, and because the royal family is always escorted by the police, therefore they can either speed up on the road or may as well go on a very slow speed. They’ll remain exempted from any speeding ticket.
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The Queen Didn’t Require A Driving License
All driving licenses in the UK are issued under the Queen’s name, so it makes quite the irony if the Queen herself issues a driving license under her own name. That being said, the Queen drove around her car without a driving license, and her car didn’t even require a number plate. She had also never been required to pass any driving tests. Another thing worthy to be mentioned is that the Queen was quite a driver. During World War II, she used to drive ambulances and even drove around the Prince of Saudi Arabia in her Land Rover when he visited the U.K. in 1998.
Around The World Without A Passport
Queen Elizabeth II didn’t have to worry about forgetting her passport while on an International trip. Just like the driver’s license, all the passports in the U.K. are issued under her name, so she didn’t need one for herself.
No Heed For Freedom of Information Act
In any democratic country, the citizens of the country are allowed to request information from the ruling authority, but the Royal Family has blocked this. The private schedules of the Queen cannot become transparent to the citizens of the U.K. The Royal Family’s website reads, “The Royal Household is not a public authority within the meaning of the FOI Acts, and is therefore exempt from their provisions.” Thus, the Queen kept the happenings inside the Royal Family a top secret.
The Queen Could Eat A Swan And Own A Pet Dolphin
Hunting a swan in the United Kingdom is illegal, but not for the Queen. The Queen could easily make a swan dish for herself if she craved it, and there was not one finger pointed at her. Moreover, she also owned all the swans in the river Thames.
The Grandchildren’s Custody
What legally happens is that if the grandparents want custody of their grandchildren, they’ll have to go to the courts. However, the Queen really didn’t have to follow this rule, because according to the 300-year-old rule in the monarch books, the Queen automatically had legal custody over her grandchildren. This means she could easily take away Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children, Prince George, Prince Charlotte, and Prince Louis, away from them.
The Royal Is Above The Parliament When It Comes To War
If the parliament wants to declare a war on another country or countries, they’ll have to take royal approval, but the Queen, being the ultimate royal at the top, could declare war without anyone’s approval, and that wouldn’t come under rule-breaking.
The Queen Broke The “Never Complain, Never Explain” Rule
The Queen’s mother had established a “never complain, never explain” rule under which the monarch and the royals aren’t liable to give any press interviews, any comments, or any explanations about incidents, occurrences, and events. The Queen doesn’t have to share how she feels about any controversial event that might turn up regarding the royal family. She steadfastly followed the rule until 2020 when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as the royal senior members. She addressed the intense scrutiny Harry and Meghan had been exposed to with, “Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family. I recognize the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” her statement read.
Queen Elizabeth II Could Easily Go On A Crime Spree
The Queen could easily break any civil or criminal law and easily get away with it! And this didn’t only apply to the UK but also to other parts of the world. She had sovereign immunity, which made her immune to any civil or criminal investigations. The police couldn’t question her, and in simpler words, she couldn’t be sued. She could just walk into a shop, loot it, and no law could do anything about it. She could have also murdered someone and she’d still have been exempted from any legal proceedings. The Queen was definitely above all the laws.
