The Duke of Norfolk has been slapped with a driving ban after he confessed to running a red light and failed to appeal it in a secret court hearing by claiming he needed to drive because he had King Charles' coronation to organise.
The 65-year-old Duke, who planned the Queen's funeral, was hauled to court over an offence which took place in Wandsworth, London on April 7.
The peer was caught running a red light whilst on his mobile phone when he cut across police and has now been banned from getting behind the wheel for six months.
The highest-ranking duke in England initially denied the offences - but at court admitted to not paying attention to the road and instead using his phone to contact his wife.
Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the 18th Duke of Norfolk, then threw everything he could at an appeal claiming he needed his car to help the upcoming king's coronation run smoothly.
The peer organised the Queen's funeral on September 19 - an event he had spent years planning - and now says his next event to organise is King Charles III's coronation.
In his desperate attempts to avoid a driving ban the Duke's lawyer said he needed to drive amidst his task to help organise and execute King Charles' coronation.
His lawyer asked for the press and public to be excluded as they would need to present evidence "on national security and the upcoming coronation" to prove the driving ban would cause the peer "exceptional hardship". However, after they were excluded, the court forgot to invite them back in.
But a bench of magistrates, chaired by Judith Way, endorsed hitting the peer's licence with six points and therefore banned him from driving for six months.
“We accept that this a unique case because of the defendant’s role in society and in particular in relation to the King’s coronation,” said Ms Way.
She added: “The hardship needs to be exceptional and although we find inconvenience may be caused, we don’t find it exceptional hardship. We consider alternative means of hardship are available.”
Alongside his six month driving ban, the Duke was also ordered to pay an £800 fine, £350 in costs, and an £80 surcharge.
The Duke played an instrumental role in the state funeral at Westminster Abbey and the processions around it, ensuring all the pageantry and careful planning played out smoothly.
Due to past speeding convictions on his record the Duke was hit with the half year driving ban because he reportedly already had nine points on his licence from two speeding offences in 2019, and six points for the latest offence.
A driving ban is automatic for having over 12 points unless it can be argued it would cause "exceptional hardship" - what his lawyers tried to argue.
They claimed because of the vital role he would play in organising King Charles' coronation that the ban would cause "exceptional hardship".
His lawyer also argued for Lavender Hill magistrate court to hear his pleas in secret and exclude the public and press from the hearing because "matters of national security" and sensitive information about the coming coronation would need to be discussed.
His lawyer Natasha Dardashti said: “It’s an extremely peculiar situation whereby his grace, the Duke of Norfolk, is Earl Marshal. One of his responsibilities is for the preparation and organisation of the funeral of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II.
"He is now the person in the country responsible for the coronation of His Royal Highness King Charles III.
“In relation to exceptional hardship, his Grace needs to provide some details and information about the preparations of the coronation of His Royal Highness King Charles.
“Very few people have been made aware of the date [of the coronation], the more sensitive the material the fewer people are yet to be involved in that.
“Organisation of a national state occasion involves considerable matters of national security, not just the public and officials in this country but world leaders attending the UK.
“In order to be able to properly advance this argument it would require his grace to go into details, and to allow the press to remain will prohibit him putting forward much of the information he needs to put.
“It would be unacceptable for these details to be made public or made known to risk the escape of that information of a very sensitive nature."
Press were temporarily kicked out the hearing early this afternoon after the magistrates agreed to let him make part of his case in secret.
However, the court then forgot to invite journalists back in once the "submissions on national security and the upcoming coronation" was finished.
The peer, who holds the title of Earl of Arundel, oversees and advises the palace on major ceremonial events such as the funeral and coming crowning.
He resides in Arundel Castle and inherited his titles from his father upon his death in 2002.
When the Duke appeared in court, dressed in a dark grey suit, he named the castle as his address and pled guilty to using a handheld device whilst driving.
Outlining the facts of the driving offence, prosecutor Jonathan Bryan said: “The time was just before 3.45pm, it was a Thursday. Officers were in a vehicle on Battersea Park Road when they saw a BMW.
“Officers were stationary at a traffic lights, which turned green. A BMW cut across them and on that basis the officers assumed it must have gone through a red light because their light was green.
“One of the officers noticed the driver was using a mobile phone while doing this and didn’t seem to be paying attention.
“The officers drove up to the BMW and saw through the window that the driver was using his mobile phone. They spoke to the driver, who was his grace. There was a conversation about the use of a mobile phone.
“He said he had not been aware of going through the red light but accepted this was because he was using his mobile phone. He said he was in communication with his wife.”
Lawyers for the Duke initially wrote to the court to plead not guilty to the offence, with a note from the peer which said: “I currently put the prosecution to proof and will be reviewing whether to provide a defence statement once the Crown has served the case in full, including body-worn footage.”
As Earl Marshal, the Duke is the highest ranking Duke in England and the most senior lay member of the Roman Catholic Church of Britain and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords.
The dad-of-five is also a descendant of Elizabeth I.
