Swan murder, speeding, and a tax break that'll make your eyes water.
Here's everything King Charles and Camilla could get away with — if they wanted to.
One major legal exception afforded to King Charles III is that he is exempt from paying
inheritance taxes on the fortune passed down from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
For reference, the average person would pay approximately 40% in taxes on an inheritance
valuing more than $374,000, so this is a huge boon for the new king.
The decision that the British monarch would not have to pay an inheritance tax came about
in 1993, when then-Prime Minister John Major agreed to a tax arrangement with the royal
family.
Major said at the time:
"In the unique circumstances of a hereditary monarchy, special arrangements are needed
for inheritance tax."
So what did Charles inherit that bypassed such taxation?
Well, for one, he gained his mother's $500 million personal portfolio, likely saving
around $200 million in taxes.
On top of this, he is responsible for the $42 billion fortune belonging to the crown,
including palaces, estates, land, jewels, and other valuables.
The tax deal of 1993 also freed the monarch from paying income tax; nevertheless, the
queen said that she would voluntarily pay it.
Charles, who was a prince at the time, also volunteered to do so — and as king, he will
likely do the same.
Another perk of being king is that King Charles III won't have to use a passport when he jets
around the world.
The rule was the same for the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was exempt from needing identifying
documents precisely because British passports are issued in the name of the monarch.
The queen was the only member of the royal family who was afforded this privilege.
Even her husband, Prince Philip, and then-Prince Charles had to travel with a passport.
However, by this logic, Charles will be granted the same exception as king.
On a similar note, some people have raised an interesting question about the validity
of British passports after the queen died.
Will passports still be valid now that there is a new monarch?
Well, according to EuroNews, they'll still be workable official documents and will likely
change slowly, as expired passports are renewed, to reflect Charles' sovereignty.
Here's a fact, for you: King Charles III doesn't have to comply with speed limits when driving.
The Road Traffic Regulation Act means that vehicles associated with police, fire, and
ambulance services are exempt from following speed limits when they are performing their
specific duties.
Now, this doesn't mean King Charles III can jump in any old car and blast off by himself
— it means that when the royal family is on duty, they are always accompanied by a
police escort, which allows them to surpass the speed limit.
A representative from the Department for Transport told one British tabloid:
"The law currently states that speed limits do not apply to any motor vehicle being used
for police, fire and rescue authority, ambulance or Serious Organized Crime Agency [...] purposes
[...] The [prime minister] and royal family are driven by the police so the driver would
be exempt because the police have an exemption in law."
But the royal family still arrives in style, no matter what speed they're going; the first
time King Charles arrived at Buckingham Palace on official duty, he was chauffeured in a
Rolls-Royce Phantom VI.
And that's saying nothing of this:
"My old Aston Martin, which I've had for 51 years, that runs on — can you believe this
— surplus English white wine."
The royal family, specifically the monarch, is exempt from the Freedom of Information
Act, which allows citizens to obtain information about public authorities.
The royal family is not required to comply because, as their own website points out,
they are not technically a "public authority."
However, the website does make one note: The royal family willingly provides information
"to account openly for its use of public money" and to try and be transparent in many areas.
While this is all spelled out matter-of-factly by the royal PR machine, The Independent offered
a scathing critique of this exemption in 2015.
The publication's article was prompted by Buckingham Palace's attempts to protect Prince
Andrew from scrutiny due to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown pointed out that not only does the royal family get a pass
from the Freedom of Information Act, but they can also prevent the press from revealing
information that could potentially damage their reputation.
Alibhai-Brown called their "unchecked influence and lack of transparency" an unfair combination,
and cited instances in which the royal family stopped the BBC from airing two different
documentaries about them.
Perhaps most dramatically of all, King Charles III enjoys a protection known as sovereign
immunity.
This British law stemmed from the idea that the king could do no wrong, meaning the monarch
cannot be arrested for committing a crime.
The official Royal website addressed this exemption when Queen Elizabeth II was sovereign
in a statement that read:
"Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the sovereign as a person
under U.K. law, the queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity
are carried out in strict accordance with the law."
Even though she knew she was protected, the queen made sure not to take advantage of her
immunity.
Charles will be protected by the same immunity — and he might be more grateful for it than
his mother.
Recently, his longtime charity, The Prince's Foundation, has come under fire for accepting
financial donations in exchange for granting a Saudi tycoon both U.K. citizenship and knighthood.
While this isn't a good look for the foundation, Charles has not been directly linked to this
indiscretion — not that it would matter if he were, thanks to sovereign immunity.
One of the wackier rules of the monarchy is that King Charles III and Camilla, the queen
consort, can claim ownership of the swans in England and, should they wish, eat them.
The antiquated rule goes back to earlier English rule, but is still in effect, for reasons
of tradition — or possibly because no one has bothered to revise it.
According to the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, it's illegal to eat swans in
England.
As far back as the 12th century, swans were reserved for the monarchy and aristocracy
and were considered a culinary delicacy.
In current times, however, it is illegal to consume most swans because they are protected
wildlife.
Despite the strange nature of this rule, Charles still has his own designated Marker of the
Swans.
The current holder of this title is David Barber, who served Queen Elizabeth II and
then King Charles.
Barber himself has explained:
"The king has the right to claim any swan swimming in open waters, unmarked, if he so
wishes.
Not all the swans belong to the king.
But if he wishes to claim them, he can, by the royal prerogative."
"And it's always been a very strict punishment if you steal swan eggs, if you injure a swan.
So the punishment is quite severe."
Barber also explained the history of swans as a food source, adding:
"Swans then were an extremely important food source and served up at banquets and feasts,
really for the wealthy."
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are off the hook when it comes to serving
jury duty, too.
This privilege extends to not only the monarch and his spouse, but also to members of his
immediate family.
Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, also benefit from the royal loophole.
The exemption used to spread even further among the royal family.
However, in 2003, several members of Parliament pushed back against the law, which allowed
both the royal family and the royal household to opt-out of attendance at criminal trials
if their absence would inconvenience the monarch.
Many felt that this created a superior sense of exceptionalism that failed to serve the
public.
Desmond Turner, a member of Parliament, said:
"The notion that anyone is too grand or too clever or too important to serve on a jury
is not to be borne."
The blanket pass was eliminated, but the rule remains for the monarch and his immediate
family.
There's one rule that King Charles III no longer has to follow, but Camilla, the queen
consort, does: He doesn't need to use a driver's license.
The head of roads policy for Britain's Automobile Association, Jack Cousens, spoke to The Mirror
in September 2022.
He pointed out that, since driving licenses are issued by the king's government under
his authority, the king himself does not need one.
However, the exemption doesn't extend to anyone else in the royal family.
Cousens added that all other royals would need to acquire a driving license in order
to take to the roads.
That means Camilla is required to obtain a license, as are Charles' immediate relatives.
And they've clearly done so: The royal family has long been associated with their love of
cars.
Even Queen Elizabeth II enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, in
which she worked as a mechanic and learned how to fix engines and change tires.
King Charles III has undergone a series of name changes throughout his life.
As monarch, however, his official title is His Majesty The King, and as such, he doesn't
require a last name.
Prior to this title, Charles has been known as the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwall.
Interestingly, the royal family had to reconfigure the last names of the offspring of Queen Elizabeth
II and Prince Philip.
Members of the royal family originally used Windsor as a surname, but after Philip and
Elizabeth's children were born, the children used the hyphenated combination Mountbatten-Windsor,
with Mountbatten coming from Philip's side.
This is still in effect with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie Harrison
Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
We've seen other cases of changed names since Charles became king.
Prince William and his wife Catherine became the Prince and Princess of Wales.
"Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru."
Their children got new names as well: Prior to the accession, Prince George, Princess
Charlotte, and Prince Louis used Cambridge as a surname, and now they go by Wales.
William also inherited another title that was previously held by Charles; he became
the Duke of Cornwall and will manage the highly lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
So while it might mean a revolving array of name changes, it sure pays to be royal.