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Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

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Not to be confused with Simon Bowes-Lyon.

The Right Honourable
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Born
Simon Patrick Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis

(1986-06-18) 18 June 1986 (age 38)
London, England
Other namesSam Bowes-Lyon
Term27 February 2016 – present
Criminal chargesSexual assault
Criminal penalty10 months' imprisonment
Criminal statusReleased after serving five months
Parent(s)Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Isobel Weatherall

Simon Patrick Bowes-Lyon, 19th and 6th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (born 18 June 1986), styled as Lord Glamis until 2016, is a Scottish peer and landowner, the owner of estates based at Glamis Castle.

The eldest son of Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and his first wife, Isobel Weatherall, he is a second cousin once removed of King Charles III, whose maternal grandmother was a Bowes-Lyon.

In 2021, Strathmore pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home, Glamis Castle,[1] and as a result served five months in prison.

Biography

[edit]

Strathmore was born on 18 June 1986 into the Bowes-Lyon family.[2] His father, Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, was a politician, soldier, and businessman, as well as a hereditary peer.[3] His mother is Isobel Weatherall, daughter of Captain Anthony Edward Weatherall. He attended Sunningdale School.[4] His parents divorced in 2004.[5]

Strathmore is a great-great-nephew of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and thus a second cousin once removed of King Charles III and third cousin of his son, Prince William. In 2002, he walked alongside his father and members of the royal family behind the coffin of the Queen Mother during her funeral.[6]

On his father's death on 27 February 2016, the then-Lord Glamis succeeded as 19th Earl.[3] In 2019, he was living at Glamis Castle.[7] Running the Glamis estate includes work with Reiver Travel, which arranges exclusive holidays in Scotland.[8] In 2017 Strathmore decided to renovate Glamis House, a property on his estate and a childhood home of the Queen Mother, for use as a self-catering holiday home.[9] From 2016 to 2018, he was a director of Ark Hill Wind Farm Ltd.[10] Strathmore is the chieftain of the Strathmore Highland Games,[11] which takes place annually in the grounds of Glamis Castle.[12]

Convictions and controversies

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Speeding conviction

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In 2010, Lord Glamis, as he then was styled, was convicted of speeding by riding his motorbike at 100 mph (160 km/h) on a public road with a 60 mph (97 km/h) limit. He was banned from driving for nine months.[6]

COVID-19 violation

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In June 2020, Durham Police contacted the Earl for violating the COVID-19-related travel restrictions then in place. A report said Strathmore travelled 200 miles (320 km) to Holwick Lodge, Middleton-in-Teesdale, and that his butler was spotted buying newspapers.[13]

Sexual assault conviction

[edit]

In 2021, Strathmore was charged with sexual assault after admitting to attacking a 26-year-old woman at his Scottish home, Glamis Castle, in early 2020.[14] On 12 January 2021, Strathmore was granted bail and placed on the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) by Sheriff Alistair Carmichael at Dundee Sheriff Court. His conviction attracted attention in both the British and the international press, due to his connection with the royal family.[14][15][16][17][18] The Times reported calls for Strathmore to be removed as the Chieftain of the annual Strathmore Highland Games[11] and as the President of the Angus Ball.[19] On 23 February 2021, he was sentenced to ten months' imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.[20] He was released after serving five months.[21]

Drunk driving conviction

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On 10 November 2023, the Earl was convicted of drunk driving at Perth Sheriff Court. The Earl gave a reading of 55 mcg per 100 ml of breath; the legal limit is 22 mcg, therefore, he was 2.5 times over the legal limit. As part of a plea deal with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service a charge of driving at 88 mph (142 km/h) was dropped. He was banned from driving for a period of 16 months and ordered to pay a fine of £1000.[22]

Titles and styles

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  • 18 June 1986 − 27 February 2016: Lord Glamis[23]
  • 27 February 2016 – present: The Right Honourable The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

In addition to the Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Strathmore holds the following subsidiary titles: 17th Viscount Lyon, 19th Lord Lyon and Glamis, 26th Lord Glamis, 17th Lord Glamis, Tannadyce, Sidlaw and Strathdichtie, and 7th Baron Bowes, of Streatlam Castle.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Currie, Gordon (12 January 2021). "Queen's cousin Simon Bowes-Lyon faces jail after sex attack at Glamis Castle". The Times. Retrieved 13 January 2021.(subscription required)
  2. ^ Currie, Gordon (12 January 2021). "Royal family member faces prison sentence over violent sex assault in Scottish ancestral home". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary: Michael Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and businessman". The Scotsman. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Old Boys". School Notes. Sunningdale School: 6. Summer 2017.
  5. ^ "The Earl of Strathmore, the Queen's cousin, has passed away". Royal Central. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b Ward, Victoria (12 January 2021). "Queen's cousin faces jail after admitting sexual assault". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2021.(subscription required)
  7. ^ Pickup, Gilly (7 March 2019). The 50 Greatest Castles and Palaces of the World. Icon Books. ISBN 9781785784583.
  8. ^ King, Steven (9 August 2020). "How to live like laird in your own Scottish castle". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  9. ^ Carruth, Karen (15 January 2018). "Live like a Royal at Glamis House". The Scottish Farmer. Glasgow: Newsquest. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Strathmore And Kinghorne Simon Patrick BOWES LYON". Companies House. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b Horne, Marc (14 January 2021). "Call to strip sex offender Simon Bowes-Lyon of chieftain title". The Times. Retrieved 16 January 2021.(subscription required)
  12. ^ "Information". Strathmore Highland Games. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  13. ^ White, Roland (14 June 2020). "Laird lured to Barnard Castle". The Times. Retrieved 10 September 2020.(subscription required)
  14. ^ a b "Earl of Strathmore admits sex attack at Glamis Castle home". BBC News. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  15. ^ Friedmann, Chloé (13 January 2021). "Simon Bowes-Lyon, un cousin d'Elizabeth II, risque la prison pour agression sexuelle" [Simon Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of Elizabeth II, faces prison for sexual assault]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Kuzyn królowej Elżbiety II oskarżony o próbę gwałtu. Mężczyzna przyznał się do winy" [Queen Elizabeth II's cousin accused of attempted rape. The man pleaded guilty]. Dzień Dobry TVN (in Polish). 13 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Cousin der Queen droht Haftstrafe wegen sexuellen Übergriffs" [Queen's cousin faces prison sentence for sexual assault]. Stuttgarter Nachrichten (in German). 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  18. ^ Nolasco, Stephanie (15 January 2021). "Queen Elizabeth's relative, Earl of Strathmore, pleads guilty to sexually assaulting a woman: reports". Fox News. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  19. ^ Horne, Marc (27 January 2023). "Angus Ball under fire over sex-assault earl's role as president". The Times. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Relative of Queen jailed for sexually assaulting woman at Scottish castle". The Guardian. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  21. ^ Vanderhoof, Erin (9 August 2021). "The Queen's Cousin Simon Bowes-Lyon Is Released From Prison After Serving Five Months for Sexual Assault". Vanity Fair.
  22. ^ "Simon Bowes-Lyon: Road ban for earl who admitted drink-driving". BBC News Online. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  23. ^ "The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne - obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 29 February 2016.
  24. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Vol. 3 (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage and Gentry LLC. pp. 3783–4.
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
2016–present 		Incumbent
Heir:
The Hon. John Bowes-Lyon
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
2016–present 		Incumbent
Heir:
The Hon. John Bowes-Lyon
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Earl of Perth
 Gentlemen
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 		Succeeded by
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