Fans of the Royal Family may have noticed that Prince William and Princess Kate sometimes don’t wear their seatbelts while travelling in a car. Although they’re not exempt from the law, there are a number of reasons why.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were pictured without their seatbelts on as they arrived at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Trooping the Colour event. This was likely counted as a procession as they were surrounded by security. The law states that people “involved in a procession organised by or on behalf of the Crown or which is commonly or customarily held” are exempt from wearing seatbelts, as reported by Hello!.
According to royal protection officer Simon Morgan, of Trojan Consultancy, decisions on whether to wear a seatbelt or not are made on a case-by-case basis. He explained how an unfastened seatbelt is sometimes better for security.
Simon said: “There are always anomalies. In the threat and risk matrix, it’s a matter of looking at each individual situation to decide what is the best way of achieving what needs to be achieved.”
He continued: “For example, considering that a quick entry or exit to a vehicle is easier when people aren’t strapped into seatbelts.”
Prince William and Princess Kate arrived at the annual reception for Members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace in December 2022 with their seatbelts unfastened. This may have been to make sure they could make a quick exit into the building.
Simon also said that other factors are taken into account. These include personal preference, the significance of the situation and the importance of their appearance.
He explained: “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 with the outcomes you are trying to achieve.”
