Peer who organised Queen’s funeral banned from driving for using phone behind wheel

A senior peer who organised the Queen’s funeral has been handed a six-month driving ban for using his mobile phone behind the wheel.

The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, 65, argued in court that he should be spared a ban because he needs his licence to organise the coronation of King Charles III.

A lawyer for the duke – a descendant of Queen Elizabeth I believed to be worth £100m – told magistrates on Monday that losing his licence would lead to “exceptional hardship”.

The Oxford-educated father-of-five, who is also responsible for arranging the State Opening of Parliament, pleaded guilty at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court to using his mobile phone behind the wheel in Battersea, southwest London.

The duke, also known as Edward Fitzalan-Howard, was stopped by police after he was spotted using his phone while driving his BMW on 7 April.

The offence comes with a compulsory six-point endorsement – but he already had nine penalty points on his licence for previous speeding offences.

Passing sentence, bench chair Judith Way, said: “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.

“The hardship needs to be exceptional and although we find inconvenience may be caused, we don’t find it exceptional hardship.”

The duke’s lawyer, Natasha Dardashti, made an application for parts of the hearing to be held “in camera” – excluding the press and public – over “national security” concerns regarding “very sensitive” information.

She told the court: “In relation to the exceptional hardship argument, his grace will need to provide some detail and information about the preparation of the coronation of His Royal Highness King Charles III.

“The application for this matter to be in camera is for reasons of national security and because details of this will be provided which have not yet been discussed with His Royal Highness, and not yet discussed with the prime minister and not yet discussed with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“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.”

Outlining the facts of the driving offence, prosecutor Jonathan Bryan said: “Officers were stationary at 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. 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.”