Royal ‘deeply sorry’ for sexual attack

THE Queen’s cousin could be facing jail after he admitted carrying out a sex attack on a woman at Glamis Castle, his ancestral home.

Simon Bowes-Lyon, the 19th Earl of Strathmore, drunkenly groped the woman and pushed her on to a bed.

His victim repeatedly ordered the 34-year-old known as “Sam”, to leave the room but he refused, stating: “I’m going to f*** you.”

The laird has now been placed on the sex offenders register after pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to sexually assaulting the woman on February 13 last year.

Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of the Queen twice removed, said in a statement he was “greatly ashamed” of his actions.

The woman was a guest at the castle for a PR event hosted by a luxury travel magazine between February 11-13.

Bowes-Lyon showed off his Jaguar F-Type to the woman with guests being treated to helicopter rides and gin tastings on the grounds.

The court heard that before the attack the woman went to bed at around 11.30pm before being awoken in the early hours by a drunken Bowes-Lyon.

“She did not do or say anything that inferred she had any interest in him sexually or otherwise,” fiscal depute Lynne Mannion said.

“At 1.20am, the complainer was asleep in bed and was awoken by knocking at the door.

“She heard the accused say ‘it’s Sam, it’s important, please let me in’.

“The accused pushed his way in and pushed her on the bed. He was very drunk and smelled strongly of cigarettes.”

Mrs Mannion said Bowes-Lyon had grabbed the woman’s breasts and tried to lift up her nightdress.

“She repeatedly asked him to leave but he refused,” she added.

“She went to the bathroom to try to close the door but the accused followed her and lit a cigarette.

“She slipped past him and went back into the room but he pushed her against a wall.”

Bowes-Lyon then touched the woman indecently before she escaped his clutches and tried to call her boyfriend.

However, the poor mobile phone signal meant she could only make WhatsApp calls.

Bowes-Lyon repeatedly refused to leave and said: “I’m going to f*** you,” before saying she needed to be “shafted”.

After the woman told him to “f*** off”,

Bowes-Lyon said she was a “rude, mean, bad and horrible person”.

A fellow guest later found the woman visibly shaken and BowesLyon initially denied the incident.

He then sent an email to the same guest that included an apology he wanted passed on to the woman.

Police were later contacted and Bowes-Lyon, who told officers he was a farmer, gave a “no comment” interview.

Bowes-Lyon, of Glamis Castle, pleaded guilty on indictment to sexually assaulting the woman at the castle by repeatedly pushing her on to a bed, forcibly grabbing her breasts, trying to pull up her nightdress, pushing her against a wall, touching her indecently and trying to kiss her.

The 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Bowes-Lyon succeeded his father, Michael Bowes-Lyon, following his death in 2016 aged 58.

His father was considered the head of the Queen’s Scottish family. Defence counsel John Scott QC said he would reserve his mitigation until the preparation of social work reports but stated that Bowes-Lyon had engaged in counselling following the incident.

He provided Sheriff Alastair Carmichael with four character references.

Mr Scott said: “He has done everything he could to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity.”

Sheriff Carmichael deferred sentence until February for reports. Bowes-Lyon was released on bail and put on the sex offenders register meantime.