Royal Scandal: Queen Elizabeth’s Cousin Pleads Guilty To Sexually Assaulting Guest At Home

KEY POINTS

Earl of Strathmore Simon Bowes-Lyon admits to sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman
The attack took place at Glamis Castle, the Earl’s ancestral home
He has been registered on the sex offender’s list and faces five years of prison

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin Simon Bowes-Lyon has been charged with allegations of a sexual assault on a 26-year-old woman. He has pleaded guilty to his crime and said he was “greatly ashamed” of his actions.

The royal in question is the 19^th and 6^th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, respectively. He admitted to having barged into a sleeping woman’s room while she was visiting Glamis Castle for an event he was hosting at his ancestral property in February 2020, according to the BBC.

The attack lasted 20 minutes during which he tried to “pull off her nightdress” repeatedly. The woman took off from the castle the following morning and reported the matter to the police in her hometown.

As per the report, both Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police were investigating the high-profile case. Meanwhile, at the Dundee Sheriff Court, the aristocrat was given bail and put on the list of registered sex offenders. Although his sentence has been deferred, he faces up to five years in prison, notes Daily Record. Sheriff Alistair Carmichael has also ordered an assessment of the castle for its “suitability for a tagging order.”

“She was asleep and was woken by knocking at the door,” Fiscal depute Lynne Mannion said in a statement to the publication. “She got up. The second she opened the door he pushed his way in and pushed her onto the bed.”

“He was very drunk and smelled of cigarettes. He told her he wanted to have an affair,” Mannion added.

While the woman tried to resist him and raised her voice in the hope of finding help, the Earl refused to leave her room.

Outside court, Bowes-Lyon admitted that he was drunk, but alcohol was “no excuse” for his behavior. He also apologized to the victim and her family for his actions.

"Clearly I had drunk to excess on the night of the incident. I should have known better. I recognize, in any event, that alcohol is no excuse for my behavior,” Bowes-Lyon said. “My apologies go, above all, to the woman concerned, but I would also like to apologize to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them."

The 34-year-old Earl is the Queen’s first cousin twice removed and a great-great-nephew to the Queen Mother.