I just wondered if the king wasn't technically above ... well, the police, anyway. Maybe subject to parliamentary arrest, or something? I guess I could Google it, but I assumed someone here would know.
JD DeLuzio > Captain ComicsFebruary 20, 2026 at 5:39am
Technically, the monarch, and only the monarch, has "sovereign immunity," and cannot be prosecuted for crimes. That exemption has come under scrutiny, there is an expectation that a king or queen will act within certain bounds, and there's that statue of Cromwell in front of parliament, that almost begs to be read as, "so a previous king stepped out of line this one time...."
The rest of the royal family have no such protection.
Obviously, some people have lattitude to operate in certain official capacities, and, as everywhere, people behind the scenes might pull strings. Famously, during World War II, Edward was sent to Bahamas and kept under close watch, rather than being investigated and potentially charged with treason, which might have been bad for morale.
I've read that a copy of the Parliamentary death warrant for Charles I is posted on the wall of the robing room where the monarch goes before they address Parliament, just as a "friendly reminder".
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So.... Can you guess which story is dominating headlines on the BBC and throughout the Commonwealth this morning?
That dog that ran in the Olympics?
It's rather a different sort of "dog" that's in the public eye right now.
Keir Starmer said "No one is above the law." But is that legally true in the UK?
Well, James Bond, obviously.
I just wondered if the king wasn't technically above ... well, the police, anyway. Maybe subject to parliamentary arrest, or something? I guess I could Google it, but I assumed someone here would know.
Technically, the monarch, and only the monarch, has "sovereign immunity," and cannot be prosecuted for crimes. That exemption has come under scrutiny, there is an expectation that a king or queen will act within certain bounds, and there's that statue of Cromwell in front of parliament, that almost begs to be read as, "so a previous king stepped out of line this one time...."
The rest of the royal family have no such protection.
Obviously, some people have lattitude to operate in certain official capacities, and, as everywhere, people behind the scenes might pull strings. Famously, during World War II, Edward was sent to Bahamas and kept under close watch, rather than being investigated and potentially charged with treason, which might have been bad for morale.
I hope that helps.
I've read that a copy of the Parliamentary death warrant for Charles I is posted on the wall of the robing room where the monarch goes before they address Parliament, just as a "friendly reminder".
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