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Being the British monarch has its perks.
No one knows royal protocol like Her Majesty. As England’s longest reigning sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II has dedicated her life to the crown, and all of the rules and restrictions that come with it. And while there are some things she isn’t allowed to do, being one of the world’s most powerful women does come with some privileges that no one else has — not even the rest of the royal family. We’ve uncovered the best (and most surprising!) things about being the Queen of England.
Usually the Queen has a chauffeur, but occasionally she likes to get behind the wheel of a car. Just don’t expect to see her at the DMV. She’s the only person in the country who can operate a vehicle without a driver’s license.
It’s not hard to spot a vehicle belonging to Queen Elizabeth, as it’ll be the only car on the road without a license plate.
From always wearing tights (no bare legs!) to never donning an all-black outfit (they’re strictly reserved for mourning), there are a lot of fashion rules for the family. The monarch has final say on such matters, and some of the guidelines are based on her personal preferences.
Sure, the Queen’s actions have ramifications on public opinion and the future of the monarchy, but the Queen herself doesn’t have to worry about being locked up. She has sovereign immunity, and therefore cannot be prosecuted.
While she can’t vote or state her political opinions publicly, the Queen serves as an overarching figure to the British government. It’d have to be an extreme case for her to act, but under what is known as royal prerogative, the Queen can dismiss a prime minister.
Queen Elizabeth was raised with the last name of her family house, Windsor. But when she inherited the throne, she left her former name behind and took on the name Elizabeth Regina. The moniker is the latin word for “queen” and is used for all official documents. However, just Elizabeth R. is sufficient in most cases.
“This goes back to King George I [who ruled in the early 1700s], and the law’s never been changed. He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the King was the guardian of his grandchildren,” royal expert Marlene Koenig told news.com.au in 2018. We can’t imagine Queen Elizabeth ever enforcing this one!
While many see Queen Elizabeth as a symbolic figurehead in government, one of her many duties as the head of state is to lead the State Opening of Parliament each year.
Queen Elizabeth isn’t only the Queen of England, she’s also one of the nation’s wealthiest individuals. As sovereign, she’s exempt from paying taxes, but she reportedly voluntarily pays taxes on income, assets, and gains that aren’t used for official royal purposes.
Since all British passports are issued by the Queen herself, the monarch isn’t required to have one. However, she’s the only member of the royal family who’s granted this right.
It used to be that the entire royal family was exempt from being called to jury duty, because the criminal justice bill claimed it would cause disruption for the Queen if members of her circle were called to serve. But in 2003, the law was amended and only the Queen herself is now exempt.
Speed limits do not apply to the monarch when she’s being officially escorted. The Road Traffic Regulation Act allows emergency service vehicles to break speed limits and, since the Queen is escorted by police officers, she’s granted the same right.
Ever wish you could celebrate your birthday more than once a year? As sovereign, Queen Elizabeth gets this. Her real birthday is privately celebrated on April 21 and her royal birthday is marked on the second Saturday in June with the Trooping the Colour ceremony.
The Freedom of Information Act went into effect in the United Kingdom in 2005, which grants the public the ability to access any information held by the government. However, the Queen and the royal household are exempt from the act and therefore aren’t required to disclose any private matters, such as finances. Even so, the royals do disclose their use of public money each year.
Yep, you read that correctly. Technically, any and all “unmarked mute swans swimming in open waters” belong to the Queen of England. The monarch claimed the rights to the animals in the 12th century.
Curtsying is a huge part of royal etiquette, but you won’t find the Queen perfecting this move. As protocol states, the Queen is curtsied to, and she does not need to return the gesture. All female members of the royal family are expected to greet the Queen with a formal curtsy upon every first address, while male members are required to head bow.
The only time the Queen leaves the castle with a few bills in her bag is on Sunday, so she can donate to the church.
Queen Elizabeth is pictured on the currency of 35 countries around the world. She’s the only living monarch to have her likeness on so many different country’s coins and bills and holds the Guinness World Record for most currencies featuring the same individual.
As Queen, she can bestow a knighthood upon any citizen for their achievements or service to their country. The ceremony that takes place is called an investiture and is carried out by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Some pieces are owned personally by the monarch, while those used for coronations and other important ceremonies are considered crown jewels. The rest are part of the royal collection. However, as Queen, she has direct access to any of the pieces she desires.
It isn’t just Queen Elizabeth who is able to wear the priceless pieces. For formal occasions, such as state dinners or royal weddings, Queen Elizabeth decides which tiaras and jewels she loans to her family or future family members.
With an extensive cooking staff, anything the Queen wants to eat is available to her. The Queen is presented with a menu twice a week for her to decide upon.
While Queen Elizabeth’s official residence is Buckingham Palace — she moved into the palace shortly after she ascended the throne in 1952 — she splits her time between any of the multitude of royal residences available to her.
There are a myriad of companies that have been issued royal warrants over the years — which “appoints a company or individual in a trading capacity to the Royal Household” — and it’s the Queen who grants them. Most famously, Fulton Umbrellas has one and creates the Queen’s color-coordinated parasols.
There’s no time to waste when dining at Buckingham Palace. That’s because, when the Queen is done with her dinner, the meal is over, according to royal etiquette.
In accordance with the Succession to the Crown Act, the first six members of the royal family in line for the crown must have consent from the Queen to marry.
Remember those royal prerogatives? Well, the special powers bestowed upon the crown also say that the Queen can declare war and peace. She can also commit troops to an area of armed conflict.
While the President of the United States has “The Beast” to ride around in, Queen Elizabeth opted for something a bit more elegant. Her vehicle is known as the Bentley State Limousine.
Among Queen Elizabeth’s special legal powers is the ability to grant the royal prerogative of mercy — which pardons an individual of any criminal punishment. In 2020, the Queen issued the special order to pardon a convicted felon after he saved the lives of British citizens in a London terror attack.
Queen Elizabeth will never know the plight of rushing to the bank before closing time, as she has a private ATM in the basement of Buckingham Palace. The cash dispenser, provided by the British bank, Coutts, is only available to the royal family.