A relative of The Queen, Simon Bowes-Lyon, has been jailed after he sexually assaulted a woman at his Scottish Castle.
• Simon Bowes-Lyon has admitted to assaulting a woman at his castle
• Bowes-Lyon is the Queen’s first cousin, twice removed
• This comes after the royal news that Prince Harry reportedly 'wants to be there' for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations after stepping down as a working royal
Simon Bowes-Lyon has been jailed for 10 months after assaulting a woman at his ancestral home, Glamis Castle, in Angus, Scotland.
The offender has admitted to assaulting a 26-year-old woman for 20 minutes while she was a guest at his castle in February 2020.
In a court hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday, Simon Bowes-Lyon, the 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, was jailed for sexual assault. He admitted to pushing the victim against a wall and onto a bed as he tried to pull up her clothes and grab her breasts.
The Earl of Strathmore stated he was drunk on the night that he assaulted the victim.
He stated, “Clearly, I had drunk to excess on the night of the incident. As someone who is only too well aware of the damage that alcohol can cause, I should have known better. I recognise, in any event, that alcohol is no excuse for my behaviour.”
He continued to say that he is shocked by his actions on that night, “I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility,” he said.
He claimed that he is now seeking professional help for his behaviour. “Over the last year this has involved seeking and receiving professional help as well as agreeing to plead guilty as quickly as possible. My apologies go, above all, to the woman concerned but I would also like to apologise to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them,” said the Earl of Strathmore.
He has been jailed for 10 months and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years after experts decided that he posed a ‘medium risk’ to the public.
Simon Bowes-Lyon pictured wearing glasses behind Prince William at The Queen Mother's funeral in 2002
The offender is a great-great-nephew of The Queen Mother and therefore the first cousin, twice removed of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2002 he walked alongside his father and other members of the royal family, behind the coffin of The Queen Mother during her funeral.
If you have been a victim of sexual assault and need someone to talk to, please call Support Line on 01708 765200.
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