The Royal Family is all about security. It’s just sometimes that looks different for these palace-dwellers than it does for the rest of us.
Fans of the Royal Family were happy to learn that the 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II still drives her own vehicle, especially seeing as how her husband, Prince Philip, — who is only five years older — gave up his license after an accident. Even more shocking, however, was the revelation that the Queen does not wear a seatbelt … ever. Turns out, there’s a good reason for that.
It isn’t just the Queen, it is royal protocol that nobody in the family wears a seatbelt when in a car. That might not seem like it makes any sense — especially given the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997 — but the Royals believe it is necessary so that they can make a hasty exit from the vehicle if anything goes wrong. Apparently, they think they are much more likely to be attacked than to be in an accident.
There are other protocols around vehicles the Royal Family members are supposed to follow. For example, they are not supposed to close their own car doors. Security guards will close doors when the Royal member is far enough away from the car. Otherwise, the doors stay open so that if something scary happens as they exit, they can get back inside immediately.
This is why Prince Harry closing his own car door at the Invictus Games was such a big deal. He’s a rule-breaker!
The more we learn about the way the Royal Family lives the more Prince Harry’s actions start to make sense. The Duke of Sussex has been traumatized by the death of his mother for a very long time and has been very open about his mental health.
Prince Harry mentioned the British media as a big reason for his move to Canada, noting that he did not want to see his wife, Meghan Markle, and son, Archie Harrison, go through the same thing.
As mentioned, safety was a big reason for Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s move to Canada, but that doesn’t mean they are completely out of the woods, yet.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been battling nosy paparazzi since they arrived in North America and took the time to have their lawyers issue cease and desist letters after photographs of Meghan and Archie hiking were leaked. Once again, dangerous driving was cited as a reason for the couple’s safety concerns.
