The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, who was responsible for organising the Queen’s funeral, has been banned from driving for six months.
The peer argued he should not be banned because he needs his licence to arrange the King’s coronation, a court heard.
Edward Fitzalan-Howard was stopped by police on April 7 after officers spotted him using the device as his BMW cut across their vehicle after going through a red light in Battersea, south-west London, said prosecutor Jonathan Bryan.
He told magistrates the highest-ranking duke in England had already totted up nine penalty points on his driving licence from two previous speeding offences in 2019 and faces a compulsory endorsement of a further six points, which would lead to a ban.
At Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court, after pleading guilty to using his mobile phone behind the wheel, the Duke was banned from driving for six months.
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