Much like most of the United States, the United Kingdom generally requires all motorists and passengers to wear seatbelts, except in specific situations. In fact, being caught while not wearing a seatbelt in the U.K. can get you fined up to £500 GBP (about $647 USD at the time of writing). Of course, however, there are laws the royal family doesn’t actually have to follow — including certain traffic laws. For example, cars royals are riding in (but not driving) are legally allowed to break the speed limit, and the reigning monarch is able to drive without a license. Not only that, but if you’ve ever seen members of the royal family riding in the back of a car, you may have noticed that they almost never wear seatbelts. But why is that, exactly?

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After all, even if the royals aren’t legally required to wear seatbelts, it still seems like it’d be a good idea, right? According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, buckling up makes one half as likely to suffer fatal injuries in a car crash than someone who wasn’t wearing their seatbelt. Still, for the royals, there are other considerations their handlers have to keep in mind regarding their safety and security when traveling by car. Given the royal family’s notorious dress code, though, it should also come as no surprise that aesthetics sometimes play a role in the monarchy’s automotive idiosyncrasies as well. With all that being said, here’s why you almost never see royals waring seatbelts.

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While seatbelts undeniably save lives when it comes to car accidents, the royal family and their security guards may also view them as a potential liability should a different kind of threat present itself. In a 2025 interview with the MailOnline, British security expert Michael Chandler (who once worked as a bodyguard for wealthy music legend Sir Paul McCartney) explained that in the event of an emergency that makes driving away a no-go, it’s critical to be able to remove someone from a car quickly and efficiently. A seatbelt, it seems, could potentially hinder this process, costing valuable seconds. Furthermore, as we previously hinted at, Chandler explained that when royals are traveling by car in an official capacity, that’s considered diplomatic protection — which makes them immune to the U.K.’s normal seatbelt laws.

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That being said, Chandler claimed that the royals actually wear seatbelts far more often than the general public knows. According to the security expert, it all comes down to what a particular situation calls for. “There’ll be a risk assessment, the outcome of which will determine whether or not there needs to be extra precautions. … On those occasions where they’re travelling relatively quickly through London or on motorways — they will certainly wear seatbelts,” Chandler said.

According to British security expert Michael Chandler, there may also be simpler, more practical reasons as to why members of the royal family are seldom seen wearing seatbelts — particularly when they attend public engagements. During such events, royals tend to get in and out of their cars multiple times, often in rather quick succession. As Chandler told the MailOnline in his interview, this can make fussing with seatbelts a bit of a nuisance. So, even without taking the apparent security concerns into account, it’s not difficult to see why the royal family tends to just leave them off.

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On top of that, senior members of the royal family usually like to look their very best for such engagements. So, the last thing they want is for a seatbelt to cause any unwanted imperfections to their expensive outfits. “With men for example, a seatbelt can crease shirts and so that might also be a factor,” Chandler said. Plus, as we’ve already established, royals are exempt from having to wear their seatbelts when they hit the road on behalf of the Crown. So, from their perspective, it likely just makes any unsightly creases one less thing to worry about.

Now, you may be wondering: Does the royal family’s exemption from seatbelt laws extended to personal trips as well as official ones? Well, officially, no — but in reality, kind of. Due to the immunity he enjoys as the reigning monarch, King Charles III appears to be the only royal who’s legally allowed to eschew his seatbelt when traveling for pleasure instead of business. According to British security expert Michael Chandler, however, even if another member of the royal family is spotted riding seatbelt-less while off the clock, U.K. authorities will almost always look the other way.

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After all, even if they’re not attending a public function, the truth is that senior royals still maintain round-the-clock protection from their bodyguards. And like Chandler said, if a royal is seen riding in a car without a seatbelt, it’s most likely because they were told not to wear one by those in charge of keeping them safe. The last thing a British traffic cop probably wants to do is give William, Prince of Wales’ security detail a hard time. “It doesn’t legally exempt them if they’re not travelling for a ceremonial duty but they’re unlikely to be arrested when it was a decision made by someone who’s looking after them,” Chandler told MailOnline, adding, “In short, the police who provide the protection aren’t likely to be challenged by their policing colleagues.”

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Of course, up until this point, we’ve only really talked about how members of the royal family conduct themselves when riding in the back of a car. When royals are actually the ones driving, they tend to buckle up just like anyone else, even knowing full well they’re unlikely to get in any trouble for it. For instance, there are numerous photos of high-profile royals — including William, Prince of Wales; Catherine, Princess of Wales; Prince Harry; and Meghan Markle — wearing their seatbelts following family holiday gatherings at Buckingham Palace. That said, Prince Harry, in particular, has actually been spotted strapping in while being chauffeured as well.

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Max Mumby/indigo/Getty

In September 2024, Harry returned to London in order to attend the annual WellChild Awards for the 12th time since 2007. While leaving the event, Harry was photographed in the backseat of a car, with his driver and bodyguard up front — and the Duke of Sussex could clearly be seen wearing a seatbelt. However, we should note that this was well after Harry and Meghan exited the working royal family and moved across the pond. Amid the public falling out, King Charles III actually stripped his younger son and his wife of their royal security detail. Since then, Harry and Meghan have primarily utilized their own private security team, who apparently do things a bit different than the royal family’s.

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