It’s something most people have probably never thought about – but some people are only just realising that King Charles has no passport, and no driving licence.
The monarch is, as the head of state in the UK, totally is exempt from requiring a passport to leave the UK, even if travelling outside of the Commonwealth, and also has no driving licence (and presumably, no way to get points on his licence). Posting on Reddit’s Today I Learned forum, user u/heavy_pterodactyl said: “TIL [today I learned] that as the reigning monarch of 14 countries, King Charles III is allowed to travel without a passport and drive without a license.”
This was reported by National Geographic, which said in a profile on the King when he was first crowned: “As King, he’s also the only person in the UK who can travel without a passport and drive without a licence.”
The British passport contains a message from King Charles inside, with a request to other nations to allow the holder to pass freely into their country.
As such, the King would not request that he requests safe passage for himself.
This is explained by the Royal Family’s official website.
The rule, though, only applies to the King – the Queen and Prince William both require a passport to travel.
It says: “When travelling overseas, the Sovereign does not require a British passport.
“As a British passport is issued in the name of His Majesty, it is unnecessary for The King to possess one. All other Members of the Royal Family, including The Queen and The Prince of Wales, have passports.
“The first page of British passports contains a representation of the Royal Arms, together with the following wording:
“His Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of His Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
It then adds: “In Realms (Commonwealth countries where The King is Sovereign), a similar formula is used, except that the request to all whom it may concern is made in the name of the Realm’s Governor-General, as The King’s representative in that Realm. In Canada, the request is made in the name of His Majesty by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”