The Unexpected Reason Queen Elizabeth Never Wore a Seatbelt Despite Being Reported to the Police

Queen Elizabeth II was often photographed driving her Range Rover but rarely with a seatbelt. The late monarch would cruise around breaking the safety rule touted as most important. The reason, however, is exclusive to the royal family members, as former protection officer Simon Morgan explained to Hello! magazine. "There are always anomalies," stated Morgan, arguing that such decisions are always situation-specific. For instance, royals may have to leave their vehicle suddenly in case of an emergency and hence may opt out of wearing seatbelts.

"In the threat and risk matrix, it's a matter of looking at each situation to decide what is the best way of achieving what needs to be achieved. For example, considering that a quick entry or exit to a vehicle is easier when people aren't strapped into seatbelts." He added that physical appearance also often tends to factor in given that they are royals. He further opined, "Protection is a very unique area of policing and there are a lot of grey areas but you are always judging each situation to weigh up the risks and threats." 

However, since wearing seatbelts is a law, back in 2017, a law-abiding citizen reported Queen Elizabeth to the State Opening of Parliament after spotting her driving without a seatbelt on. West Yorkshire Police confirmed in a tweet that the late monarch was not strapped in. They penned, "999 call received reporting that the Queen isn't wearing a seatbelt." In the UK, such an offense normally incurs a fine of £500. 

The Queen's office refused to comment on the complaint at the time, and since she was immune to civil and criminal proceedings as a monarch, the matter didn't stretch further. The late Prince Philip was also spotted without a seatbelt on multiple occasions. A source told The Sun in 2019 that the seatbelt alarms in the royal family's Land Rovers have been disabled. "It's so that the driver doesn't have the continuous warning beeps if they don't wear a seatbelt." 

In light of the same, road campaigners have condemned the royals for setting the wrong example. British Safety Council chairman, Lawrence Waterman, slammed, "It's not as if it's onerous or difficult — and the law requires it. Obviously, these safety devices are a helpful reminder and I'm very disappointed as I do feel the royals should be setting a better example." 

Joshua Harris, director of road safety charity, Brake, echoed, "Seatbelt reminders are vital to get people to remember to buckle up and keep themselves safe and within the law. We would never recommend disabling these devices unless related to a valid exemption." Queen Elizabeth, who owned lavish cars like Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Range Rovers, drove for 70 years but interestingly she had never taken a driving test. She was the only individual in the United Kingdom who was allowed to drive without a license.