--- title: "The UK’s MI6 intelligence agency really issues licenses to kill" description: "Or...licences. With a C. Because they're British." date: "2021-07-23" modified: "2021-07-24" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/the-uks-mi6-intelligence-agency-really-issues-licenses-to-kill/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # The UK’s MI6 intelligence agency really issues licenses to kill ![]() Or...licences. With a C. Because they're British. --- In any case, it's probably the coolest thing any movie spy was ever issued. James Bond, with his "00" designation has one, and maybe a whole handful of real-world MI6 agents do too — because *they're real*. ![]() *And apparently anything goes.* A [2008 Reuters report on the inquest into Princess Diana's death]() covered the testimony of MI6 intelligence operatives. The goal of the inquest was to determine if the Britain's royal family ordered Diana killed. ![]() The result was no, of course they didn't. But what it did reveal was a look at how the intelligence agency operates, especially in regards to targeted killings. It turns out British operatives are allowed to kill their enemies. But first they need a Class Seven Authorisation and the personal signature of the Foreign Secretary. ![]() Richard Dearlove, the former head of Britain's spy agency, revealed this during the inquiry. Diana and her lover, Dodi al-Fayed, were killed in a 1997 car accident in Paris. Ten more agents were required to give testimony in 2008 as the royal family faced accusations of wrongdoing from al-Fayed's father, Mohamed. Actually getting the Class Seven Authorisation is easier than it sounds. According to Dearlove's testimony, once the paperwork is finished, it has to be signed off by a "senior regional official." Then, it would have to go through the chief of the agency — in Diana's case, it would have been Dearlove. After that, it would have to "go down restricted channels to the Foreign Secretary." Socialism turns even the smallest tasks into a whole bureaucratic ordeal. I bet the process was much smoother when Maggie Thatcher was in office. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()