Weird Powers and Privileges of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. On September 9th, 2015, she became the longest British monarch at the age of 89 years and 141 days, as well as the longest-reigning female monarch in world history. In 2020, exactly on July 18th, she will have been a queen for 25,000 days. On February 6th, 2022, she will celebrate her platinum jubilee, marking 70 years of being the queen of Britain.

With such long reign, she is quite famous in the world. You can say she is one of the most famous women in the world. She has outlived many presidents and rulers. And she is quite the celebrity. As the monarch and queen of the United Kingdom, she has many privileges and powers. Today, we will focus on the fun and interesting ones, not the political ones.

She can drive without a license

Queen Elizabeth II is the only person in the UK who doesn’t legally need a license number or a plate to drive a car. Despite not needing a license, she is quite the skilled driver. The Queen learned to drive during World War II, when she was volunteering for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. She was driving a first-aid truck, delivering medicine to those in need.

She doesn’t need a passport

All the passports in the United Kingdom are issued in Queen’s name. Therefore, all the passports are actually hers. So, she doesn’t need one to travel. However, other members of the Royal family still have to own a passport and keep in line with the law. That includes Prince Philip and Prince Charles.

She has two birthdays

The Queen in Britain celebrates her birthday two times in the year. One is her official birthday. For Elizabeth, that date is 21st of April. However, she also gets to celebrate the Queen’s birthday, which is a celebration held in the second week of June.

She owns a lot of animals

We all know Queen Elizabeth loves her corgis. However, she legally owns all the swans in the River Thames. She also owns wildlife in British waters, including dolphins, sturgeons, and whales. Talk about an animal kingdom.

Has a private cash machine

When the Queen needs cash, she can get out of her own ATM machine. The cash machine is installed in the basement of the Buckingham Palace. It is courtesy of posh bank Coutts.

Not a tax player

Speaking of money and cash, the Queen doesn’t have to pay tax legally. She is free of tax paying. However, as she wanted to set an example, she voluntarily began paying her fair share of taxes in 1992.

Immune from prosecution

Basically, she can never be arrested. All members of the royal family are also spared from Freedom of Information requests. They do not have to give anyone access to their information.

She has a private poet

Being the private poet for the Queen is a huge honor in the UK. This honorary position is given to a poet whose work is of national significance. The position is not held for life, but for a set amount of time. For example, the current private poet is Carol. She holds the position up until the end of 2019.

She is also the Queen of Australia

Since the enactment of the Royal Styles and Titles Act in 1953, the Queen of the UK is also the Queen of Australia. Elizabeth also has dominion to the following commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Lucia, the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Tuvalu.

And the weirdest part is, she can fire the entire Australian Government in a split second. She Prime Minister of Australia is appointed by the governor-general, and the queen could instruct her representatives to appoint a new PM at any time. She can also appoint a new governor-general as well.