Kate Middleton And Meghan Markle Are Subject To This Punishment The Queen Is Not

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle may be members of the British royal family, but that doesn’t mean they are exempt from obeying the law.

Last September, Express revisited that fact that unlike Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch, her family members are not exempt from prosecution. The Queen’s grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as their wives, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex, respectively, are among those who “do not possess the same sovereign immunity as the Queen,” the outlet reported at the time.

As for the Queen, she has sovereign immunity which prohibits her from being prosecuted. “Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under UK law, the Queen is careful to ensure that all her activities in her personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law,” the royal family website states.

READ: Meghan Markle Is Not Allowed To Break These ‘Bizarre’ Royal Rules At Parties

Royal Center further clarified these remarks in a 2013 piece, writing, “To make it absolutely clear: The Queen (or the reigning Monarch) is above the law. It has been like this for centuries and remains true and practicable today. However, the important thing is that Her Majesty doesn’t test this prerogative… Indeed, Her Majesty has never been in a position where her legal standing is in question, specifically because there can be no question. Regardless of what The Queen does, it can’t be declared illegal.”

While the entire Mountbatten-Windsor clan may not be safe from prosecution, they are somewhat protected when it comes to civil proceedings. Express reported via The Daily Mirror that Halsbury’s Laws of England make it so royals cannot be arrested in civil proceedings, arrested in the monarch’s presence, or arrested near a palace.