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Princess Diana's Lady-in-Waiting Banned From Driving
10 Apr
Summary
- Former lady-in-waiting Anne Beckwith-Smith received a six-month driving ban.
- She was caught driving 36mph in a 30mph zone in Wiltshire.
- Magistrates denied her exemption request to care for her brother.
Anne Beckwith-Smith, who served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Diana from 1981 until the princess's death in 1997, has been banned from driving for six months. The 74-year-old was caught driving at 36mph in a 30mph zone in her blue Audi Q2 in Wiltshire in August 2024.
Lavender Hill magistrates' court heard the case on April 8, 2026. Beckwith-Smith, who resides in South Kensington, London, admitted to the offense. She had requested an exemption from the driving ban, stating it would be 'rather catastrophic' as her brother lives in a care home in Salisbury, an area with poor public transport. However, magistrates refused her plea, noting that a bus stop was available and taxis were an option.
The ban was triggered by accumulating 12 penalty points, adding to nine previously incurred points from other traffic offenses. In addition to the driving ban, Beckwith-Smith was ordered to pay a fine of £307, £130 in costs, and a £123 victim surcharge. She previously served as Princess Diana's longest-serving lady-in-waiting and was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 1990.
