1 of Queen Elizabeth’s Relatives Is About to Spend 10 Months in Prison for Sexually Assaulting a Woman in a Castle
Things aren’t looking good for the royal family. Their family drama has been constantly in the news lately. Normally, the drama has to do with the latest news surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and the rift between them and certain family members. But it appears that one of the other royals is in much deeper trouble than Harry or Meghan ever have been. Which one of the queen’s relatives is going to prison?
![Queen Elizabeth II smiling in a pink hat](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Queen-Elizabeth-3.jpg?w=1024&h=682&strip=all&quality=89)
Which one of Queen Elizabeth’s relatives is going to prison?
Simon Bowes-Lyon, who is the the current Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, plead guilty in January to a Feb. 2020 attack on a woman in his home, Glamis Castle, according to the BBC.
“Even now — one year on — she still, occasionally, has nightmares and feels panicked because of being sexually assaulted by you,” Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said of the victim in a sentencing statement released by the court.
“Throughout all of this she made it clear that she wanted you to stop,” Carmichael continued. “She told you repeatedly that she had a boyfriend, repeatedly told you to leave and repeatedly had to keep pushing you away from her. All of which you ignored. Once she’d finally managed to eject you from her bedroom, you returned to the door and pleaded with her to let you back in.”
![Simon Bowes-Lyon, the the Earl of Strathmore leaves court in handcuffs](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Simon-Bowes-Lyon-the-the-Earl-of-Strathmore.jpg?w=1024&h=683&strip=all&quality=89)
The assault reportedly lasted for 20 minutes.
“This sexual assault was made worse for several reasons: you were the complainer’s host and took advantage of this position, you forced your way past her to get in to her bedroom, you assaulted her in the face of her repeated verbal and physical protestations that you should stop, and you repeatedly prevented the complainer from getting away from her bedroom and from your unwanted attentions,” he continued. “The amounts of force, aggression and persistence that you used are concerning.”
Bowes-Lyon has since been placed on a sex offenders list and must serve his sentence in prison, rather than under house arrest.
“I am greatly ashamed of my actions which have caused such distress to a guest in my home,” Bowes-Lyon said in a statement to CNN. “When I realized what I had done I apologized quickly to the woman concerned. I apologize wholeheartedly again today. I am deeply sorry for my behavior and the anguish it has caused.”
Prince Andrew’s crimes
Bowes-Lyon isn’t the only royal family member with a sordid past. In 2019, Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein came into question after Virginia Giuffre claimed that she met the prince and had sex with him when she was underage. Andrew denied the allegations but stepped down from his role as a working royal.
![Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends a commemoration service at Manchester Cathedral](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Prince-Andrew-Duke-of-York.jpg?w=1024&h=683&strip=all&quality=89)
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said in a statement.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”