Her Majesty’s pleasure

British Slang

Definition

Euphemistic British term for being imprisoned without a fixed end date—detained until the authorities (originally the monarch) decide otherwise.

Examples

"After the verdict, the judge ordered that the dangerous offender be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure, with no fixed release date."

"He joked darkly that if he kept nicking cars, he’d end up at Her Majesty’s pleasure before long."

"The report noted several youths were still being held at Her Majesty’s pleasure pending periodic reviews."