Princess Diana's Lady-in-Waiting Banned from Driving

0:00On April 8th, Ann Beckwith Smith, the 74-year-old who served as Princess Diana's longest lady in waiting, just got hit with a six-month driving ban. This came after her fourth speeding ticket, clocked at 36 mph in a 30-mile-per-hour zone last August. The court slapped her with a 307-pound fine plus 130 pounds in costs and a 123-pound surcharge. She pleaded guilty, but begged to keep her license, saying she drives from her 2.2 million-pound London home to visit her. 77-year-old brother in a wheelchair care home two or three times a week. He needs her for his routine and health issues, she argued, and public transport would be a hassle. Prosecutors pushed back hard, pointing out her second home right near Southbury, just a 15-minute taxi from the care home. She hadn't mentioned it under oath, and they noted buses or calves could work fine, even calculating a 44-minute trip from there. The judge shut down her exceptional hardship claim, saying she could stay in the area more to handle family duties without a car.

1:05They warned her against any motorized vehicles during the ban, noting her prior nine points from three other speedings triggered this automatic, disqualification. Beckwood Smith served Diana faithfully from 1981 until her death in 1997, even earning royal honors. Now sidelined from the wheel for half a year, she'll adapt like the rest of us mortals do.