Being a member of the Royal Family comes with its perks. Not only does it afford you a posh palace lifestyle, but an unequivocal social status as well.
To get a better understanding of what I’m talking about, I’ve compiled 10+ rules that the Royal Family is allowed to break. Have a look and see which laws of the land don’t apply to these blue bloods .
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Speed limits are merely a suggestion.
In the UK, the Road Traffic Regulation Act states that police, fire, special enforcement, and ambulances are all allowed to break the speed limit when necessary.
Since the Royal Family is always driven by police escort, this technically applies to them as well.
Jury duty is for chumps.
This shouldn’t come as a shock — I know friends who have been able to wiggle their way out of jury duty. You’d presume it would be a non-issue for royals.
While not all family members are exempt , the Queen and her immediate family most definitely are.
No sushi allowed, unless the Queen isn’t looking.
This is a rule imposed by Queen Elizabeth II as a way of guarding the health of her family. The idea of eating raw fish simply doesn’t sit well with Her Majesty.
That said, Prince William , Duchess Catherine, as well as Prince Charles have all admitted to enjoying sushi.
Passport? What passport?
Did you know that Queen Elizabeth II’s face is imprinted on the currency of at least 35 different countries ?
I suppose when you have that kind of brand name recognition, a passport becomes a bit of a moot point.
Autographs are forbidden…most of the time.
Under normal circumstances, members of the Royal Family are prohibited from giving autographs in order to help guard against potential fraud.
Back in 2010, Prince Charles broke away from this tradition and gave his John Hancock to a young flood victim from Cornwall.
Birthdays function a little differently for the Queen.
The Queen’s birthday and coronation are celebrated in the exact same way. This means that for lack of a better term, the Queen gets to celebrate her birthday twice a year.
The event is formally known as the Trooping the Colour Parade .
What’s in a name?
Unlike the rest of us, members of the Royal Family are under no obligation whatsoever to use their legal surname, Mountbatten-Windsor .
In fact, before 1917, Royals had no surname. Rather, they used the family house to which they belonged.
Hugs aren’t allowed…unless you’re hugging Michelle Obama.
The Queen is revered beyond reproach. Her Majesty doesn’t make a habit of touching her subjects and they most certainly are not allowed to touch her.
That’s why everyone was so stunned when the Queen initiated a hug with former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
All Royals must travel separately — except when they don’t want to.
This was originally put in place in order to preserve the bloodline. The idea being that if a tragedy ever were to occur, the collateral damage would be contained.
Back in 2014, Prince William and Duchess Catherine had to get special permission from the Queen in order to fly to Australia together.
Private school is off the table — except for Prince William and Prince Harry.
For generations, the children of the Royal Family had to be educated from within the royal residence.
When it came time for Prince William and Harry to attend school, Princess Diana decided to enroll them in private school .
The monarchy is exempt from the FOI.
The Freedom of Information Act grants public access to information held by public authorities (i.e. salaries, business practices, etc.).
Since the Royal Family doesn’t meet the standard of a public authority, according to the definition provided — they are exempt from its practices.
Queen Elizabeth II doesn’t need a driver’s license.
If the Queen doesn’t need a passport do you really think that the DVLA is going to bother with making her renew a driver’s license? I don’t think so.
Fun fact: the Queen actually trained and worked as a mechanic for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in WWII.
The Royals are exempt from paying certain taxes.
The Queen is under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to pay her taxes. That said, she does make voluntary payments on her income as well as her assets.
Prince Charles reportedly does the same thing.
Her Majesty has full legal custody over all her grandchildren and heirs to the throne.
That’s right — Prince William and Duchess Catherine don’t have custody over their own children.
This is a law that has been on the book for more than 300 years , and while it’s incredibly unlikely the Queen would ever take her grandchildren away from their parents — it’s technically within her right.
The Queen is above the law.
Her Majesty has what’s known as Sovereign Immunity. This states that under no circumstances can the Queen be charged in any criminal or civil investigations.
But although she is most certainly above the law , she still does her best to follow it by the letter…most of the time.
Royals are supposed to marry for country.
Historically, Royals never married for love but rather for the country, in an effort to secure power and political position.
Nowadays, Royals like Prince William and Princess Eugenie are looking for love minus all the trappings of Royal status.
The Church of England doesn’t take kindly to divorce…most of the time.
Up until Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle, no member of the Royal family had ever had a church wedding with a divorcee .
Meghan even got away with wearing a white wedding dress.
Royals aren’t supposed to engage in social media.
Traditionally, this was done as a way to appear neutral and silent in pop-cultural matters. Also, it would be pretty weird if a Royal tried to slide into a celebrity’s DMs.
But just this past month, Prince William and Kate Middleton launched their own YouTube channel.
The press must be kept at arm’s length.
Prior to Princess Diana, the Royal family remained largely mum when it came to speaking with the press.
However, the same can’t be said about the new generation who seem perfectly content to give interviews and speak with journalists.
All royals must embrace stoicism.
Have you ever wondered where the phrase “stiff upper lip” came from? That was practically the mantra of the Royal family for generations.
But that all changed when Prince Harry gave a deeply personal interview on the topic of his mother’s death.
The Royal Family traditionally only gets behind “nice” causes.
When Princess Diana first started speaking out about the AIDS crisis in Africa, she was advised to focus on more cheery subjects in the press.
Thanks to her tireless efforts, the Royal family has now become far less discriminating when it comes to their charity associations.
Making comments on their own mental health.
Mental health and wellbeing was something that was seldom discussed a decade ago.
Now, thanks largely in part to Meghan Markle , the door of conversation has swung open for the first time ever.
Blue blood or no blood at all.
Up until very recently, in order for a commoner to become a member of the Royal family, they had to sever ties completely with their family and former friends.
This was something that Kate Middleton refused to do and Prince William supported her decision 100%.
No member of the Royal Family is allowed to participate in any combat mission.
This rule shouldn’t warrant an explanation.
But in spite of the protocols in place, Prince Harry still insisted on doing two full tours of active duty in Afghanistan .
Parenting struggles are a private matter.
Royals are supposed to maintain an air of nobility. Therefore, complaining about the mundane details of normal life is not something they normally partake in.
That said, Kate Middleton was compelled to speak openly and honestly about her experiences raising children and being a mother.
PDA must be kept to an absolute minimum.
It’s not exactly regal to be pictured with your tongue down someone’s throat, so Royals do their best to always act on their best behavior .
That said, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle certainly don’t mind showing their love for one another publically.
Under no circumstances may any female member of the Royal Family go bare-legged.
This is one of the Queen’s most diehard rules.
But since Meghan Markle isn’t technically a royal, she’s able to get away with showing off her legs every now and again.
Royals must never take public transportation.
Can you imagine if you were sitting beside Prince William on the subway? It would be quite the spectacle.
However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were happy to turn a few heads after they made the decision to fly coach .
Members of the Royal Family must always use their proper titles when in public.
Once again, Meghan and Harry prove that they are not your conventional members of the Royal family.
On multiple occasions, whenever Harry and Meghan make public appearances, they forego the formalities and prefer to be addressed by their first names only.
Royals must try to never overshadow another family member.
If one member of the Royal family is performing their duties abroad, courtesy dictates that any domestic news announcements must be put on hold.
That said, Princess Beatrice announced her engagement while Prince William and Kate Middleton were on tour in Africa.
The Queen doesn’t attend funerals.
The Queen chooses not to attend funerals, so as to not overshadow the moment with her presence.
She made an exception for palace worker Annette Wilkin , who passed away after being in the Queen’s employment for 45 years.
