It is no news that the British Royals have a series of quirky habits that they follow. For instance, they carry Black clothes while traveling and no two heirs of them are allowed to travel on the same flight. While these seem like harmless quirks, not being a fan of using seatbelts also come as a recurring habit of the Royal family members and this seems to be a serious thing given the kind of safety concerns that this habit can cause.
Senior Royals like Kate Middleton, King Charles, and Prince William have often been seen without seatbelts when traveling. While they have also been spotted wearing seatbelts at some instances, the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Princess Anne had an extremely strong seatbelt free mindset.
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Regarding this habit of the Royals, Michael Chandler, British security expert said to DailyMail, “As you might imagine, there’s concerns about extracting a principal from a vehicle as quickly as possible.” He also mentioned that they follow a “risk-based approach,” which means if they are going for a longer ride or a ride that involves some traffic related hazards, they do buckle up. The whole thing is very likely to be decided by their concerned team before they make any journey.
He also said, “There’ll be a risk assessment, the outcome of which will determine whether or not there needs to be extra precautions. They do actually wear seatbelts, probably much more than people realise. On those occasions where they’re travelling relatively quickly through London or on motorways – they will certainly wear seatbelts.”
Moreover, Chandler also mentioned that the Royals might also consider their own convenience when deciding whether to put on their seatbelts or not. For instance, if they are going for a short trip that would require them to get down after a short while, they are most likely to not wear a seatbelt.
Moreover, there is also a British law that “allows passengers in vehicles under diplomatic protection to avoid wearing seatbelts.” Chandler also added that King Charles has “legal immunity” that prohibits the British law enforcement officials giving them tickets or pulling them over for breaking the rules about seatbelts. However, while the rest of Royal family members do not have that immunity, it is their Royal status that saves them from being questioned by authorities.
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Talking about the same, Chandler said, “They’re unlikely to be arrested when it was a decision made by someone who’s looking after them … In short, the police who provide the protection aren’t likely to be challenged by their policing colleagues.”
Therefore, while this practice of the Royals seems like a dangerous practice at a glance, upon closer inspection it turns out that they are completely aware of what they are doing and they have the law enforcement by their side as well. The practice of not wearing seatbelts does not pose a serious threat to their lives and that is why this practice has been continued by them for generations.
