A relative of the Queen has admitted sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home, Glamis Castle.
Police have since welcomed the conviction of Simon Bowes-Lyon, 34, the Earl of Strathmore, who attacked the woman at the Scottish Castle in February last year.
Bowes-Lyon, who is the son of a cousin of the Queen, will be sentenced at a later date and is being placed on the sex offenders register.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday that the incident happened in a bedroom at the castle, in Angus.
Detective Inspector Marc Lorente, from Police Scotland’s Tayside Division Criminal Investigation Department, said: “We welcome the conviction of Simon Bowes-Lyon who has admitted to his actions.
“Working with the Metropolitan Police, we carried out a thorough investigation into this sexual assault and I would like to thank the victim for her bravery, courage and support throughout our inquiries.
“This case shows that no matter the status of an individual involved, we will listen to victims and investigate thoroughly to ensure offenders are held accountable for their actions.”
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.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here