Queen's relative jailed for sexual assault at castle

The Earl of Strathmore has been jailed for ten months for sexually assaulting a woman.

Simon Bowes-Lyon, 34, a relative of the Queen, admitted to attacking a woman at Glamis Castle, Angus, in February last year.

Bowes-Lyon, the son of a cousin of Elizabeth II, was sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Sheriff Alistair Carmichael described it as a “serious” sexual assault and said there was no alternative other than a custodial sentence.

The court had heard that the incident happened in a bedroom at the castle.

Bowes-Lyon forced his way into a sleeping woman’s room and assaulted her during a travel PR weekend he was hosting at the 16,500-acre estate.

He admitted that on February 13 last year at Glamis Castle, he sexually assaulted a 26-year-old woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He admitted repeatedly pushing her onto a bed, forcibly grabbing her and repeatedly trying to pull off her nightdress.

Previously, in a statement issued outside court, Bowes-Lyon said: “I am greatly ashamed of my actions which have caused such distress to a guest in my home. When I realised what I had done I apologised quickly to the woman concerned.

“I apologise wholeheartedly again today. I am deeply sorry for my behaviour and the anguish it has caused.

“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.

“I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility. 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.”

Glamis Castle is the seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the family which the late Queen Mother was part of.