Don’t members of the royal family have chauffeurs, you ask? Yes, yes they do. But here’s why that’s not always wanted or even necessary.
If you’ve been following the royals for awhile, especially since Harry and Meghan got hitched, you’ve probably seen both Prince William and his brother papped driving themselves to fancy royal soirees. If you think that seems weird, you’re not alone. The question has been asked enough times that the Daily Mail has done some digging and uncovered a few reasons why the princes get behind the wheel when they could very easily just use a driver. (Sometimes, they get really crazy and open their own car doors!)
Last November, during Prince Charles’ 70th birthday party, many of the royal guests drove themselves to the shindig at Buckingham Palace, including the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex. And in 2017, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, was one of many members of the royal family photographed driving to the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace with her daughter Lady Louise.
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Etiquette expert William Hanson tells the Daily Mail that the decision to drive has everything to do with private events.
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“Modern royalty tend to drive themselves to private parties and engagements because it is exactly that — a private event.”
He said William and Harry’s decision to drive to their father’s birthday party was, according to the Daily Mail, “a subtle but significant way of putting aside their titles for one night and being two loving sons attending their father’s milestone birthday celebrations.”
They are not attending specifically because of the titles and roles they play but because of their personal connection to the host.
He says in the case of their father’s party, they likely chose “to arrive and leave with less fanfare than during their official ‘work’ engagements.”
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The brothers, William and Harry, were famously photographed driving their new brides off to their respective wedding receptions once the official ceremony was over. There’s something very romantic about a prince whisking his princess off into the sunset. Who would want to mess with that image?
