“In the name of Her Majesty […]we ask you to allow the bearer of this passport to pass freely and without obstacle…” The formula has been in every British travel document since 1921. A sentence with “colonial hints”, concedes The Daily Telegraph. More a request than an obligation, moreover. “I never saw the gendarmes from Calais bowing to me when I hold my passport up to them”, laughs Nick Trend, journalist for the conservative daily. But registration has for decades contributed to the prestige of the passport presented at border posts by His Majesty’s subjects. “In 2010, recalls the London newspaper, the British passport was considered the most powerful in the world, allowing travel to the greatest number of countries without the need for a visa.”
Twelve years later, however, it’s a downfall. The British identity document points in 2022 to thirteenth place in the Henley Passport Index of the most prestigious passports, behind Spain, Luxembourg and Singapore. “Elle begins to cause more and more problems for travelers and to open less