Duke denies using a phone while driving

THE Duke of Norfolk has denied using his mobile phone while driving after allegedly going through a red light in his BMW.

The 18th Duke of Norfolk, 65, the peer entrusted with organising the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, was pulled over by police in Battersea at around 4pm on April 7.

The Duke, who also holds the title Earl of Arundel, oversees and advises Buckingham Palace on state ceremonies, and played a central role in last week’s jubilee celebrations.

He is a direct descendant of Edward III and was awarded the Royal Victorian Order Knight of Grand Cross in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The Duke denies the charge of using a handheld mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle, court papers show.

In a witness statement, Pc Lee Hamilton said he was on duty near Albert Bridge when he saw the Duke’s blue 5 Series BMW “going through what I believe to be a red light”.

The officer added that he could not see the lights clearly. “I could see the driver was looking down, not paying attention to the road,” he said.

The policeman claimed he saw the Duke “operating” a phone in his right hand, adding that he “confirmed the communication was to his wife”.

Lawyers representing the Duke wrote to the court indicating that he would be “reviewing whether to provide a defence statement once the Crown has served the case in full, including body-worn footage”.

The Duke’s grandfather was responsible for organising the Queen’s coronation, an event that has been organised by the Duke of Norfolk since 1386. As such, Prince Charles’s coronation ceremony will also be choreographed by the Duke.

The Duke gave his ancestral seat – the 11th-century Arundel Castle in West Sussex – as his contact address. He will contest the case in a trial at Lavender Hill magistrates’ court on Aug 4.