Queen Elizabeth II Has An Identification Document After All

Queen Elizabeth II, as the monarch, has privileges no other royal possesses. She can’t be sued, and she does not really need the usual proof of identification that people have to produce for certain transactions and activities such as flying. However, she has a document that is considered proof of identification in most countries.

Why She Does Not Have A British Passport

These days, it appears that everyone is suspicious of everyone else. Banks ask for proper identification before one can encash a check, airlines also ask for one before a passenger can board a plane and even some clerks at the checkout counter will ask for IDs if one pays with cards.

One of the most useful and trusted IDs is the passport, which is especially useful for those who take frequent cross-border flights. A passport basically shows that its holder is a legal citizen of the country who issued the document.

Even the President of the United States carries a passport, albeit a fancier one called a diplomatic passport, when he travels abroad such as Europe. In this regard, the Queen is a cut above the rest when it comes to international travel — she’s not required to present a passport since she will never be issued one in the first place.

And there is a very good reason why she shouldn’t present a passport when traveling. “As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it is unnecessary for The Queen to possess one,” the royal family’s website explained. “All other members of the Royal Family, including The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, have passports.”

Her Majesty Does Not Need A Driving License Either

Queen Elizabeth II is the only person in the United Kingdom who does not need a license to drive. The reason for this is the same reason why she does not need a passport — all licenses are issued under her name.

Her Majesty can drive pretty fast that even a Saudi royal — King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who was then a prince — implored that she should slow down. “As instructed, the crown prince climbed into the front seat of the front Land Rover, with his interpreter in the seat behind,” recounted former ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles.

“To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off. Women are not — yet — allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen,” Cowper-Coles continued.

“His nervousness only increased as the Queen, an army driver in wartime, accelerated the Land Rover along the narrow Scottish estate roads, talking all the time,” the former ambassador recalled. It came to the point that the prince, via his interpreter, had to request the Queen to slow down.

But She Used To Have A Driver License

However, Queen Elizabeth II used to have a driver license. This happened in 1945, years before she was crowned the Queen in 1953. She was only 18 years old at that time and a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

The license was later kept by her driving instructor before getting into the hands of a private collector. It was later sold to the Adjutant General's Corps Museum.

The Queen Has This Document Considered ID In Other Countries

However, Her Majesty does have one document that is considered proof of identity in other countries. When she married Prince Philip in 1947, the royal couple was issued a marriage certificate. But of course the Queen does not need the document to prove her identity.