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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Severin Carrell, Rob Evans, David Pegg and Mario Savarese

Revealed: Queen’s sweeping immunity from more than 160 laws

Queen Elizabeth II, Balmoral Castle
Laws have been written or amended to specify immunity for the Queen’s conduct as a private citizen, along with her privately owned assets. Composite: Guardian/AP/Rex

Personalised exemptions for the Queen in her private capacity have been written into more than 160 laws since 1967, granting her sweeping immunity from swathes of British law – ranging from animal welfare to workers’ rights. Dozens extend further immunity to her private property portfolio, granting her unique protections as the owner of large landed estates.

More than 30 different laws stipulate that police are barred from entering the private Balmoral and Sandringham estates without the Queen’s permission to investigate suspected crimes, including wildlife offences and environmental pollution – a legal immunity accorded to no other private landowner in the country.

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