Leonardo DiCaprio uses African diplomat’s SUV to speed through London traffic: report

Traffic is a nightmare in many of the world’s major metropolitan cities, but Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly found a way to maneuver around the congested streets of London.

The Academy Award-winning movie star, “with friends in high places,” has been using a Range Rover with diplomatic license plates to travel around London in the past few weeks, The Sun reported. The bright blue Range Rover with blacked-out windows belongs to a diplomat from the Ivory Coast, The U.K. tabloid said.

Technically, diplomats’ cars must abide by U.K. traffic laws, including those that pertain to speed limits and red lights. But The Sun said police often don’t enforce those laws when it comes to embassy vehicles because their drivers would be protected by diplomatic immunity.

“It’s no secret that Leo has friends in high places but even by his standards this is well connected,” a source told The Sun.

“All diplomatic cars are clearly recognizable via their number plates and more often than not the person at the wheel has diplomatic immunity so speeding or jumping a red light now and again wouldn’t be a concern,” the source also said.

Over the summer, DiCaprio has been seen in London, in between his sojourns on mega-yachts in the Mediterranean. He has visited some of the city’s favorite hotspots, including the Embargo Republic nightclub in late July where Mick Jagger was celebrating his 80th birthday party with celebrity friends, as Entertainment Tonight reported.

The Sun said that DiCaprio allegedly used the West African diplomat’s Range Rover to ferry him back and forth from the Chiltern Firehouse, a five-star hotel in London’s West End.

“He even had it drop him off and pick him up at Chiltern Firehouse, where he likes to hang out in the capital,” the source said. “It’s alright for some, eh?”

It’s been a busy summer of fun for DiCaprio, who did not walk the picket lines in New York and Los Angeles with other members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union. However, he was among the A-listers who donated $1 million or more to SAG-AFTRA’s emergency financial assistance program to help actors who have been left without work while the Hollywood actors and writers strikes continue, according to Variety.  

DiCaprio’s summer has instead consisted of visiting London and hanging out with Tobey Maguire and other friends and pretty models on yachts, Vanity Fair reported. Because of the strike, DiCaprio has been barred from doing interviews and attending red-carpet events to promote “Killers of the Flower Moon,” his highly anticipated new film with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese, which is due for release Oct. 20.