One will have to scrounge lifts orff one’s friends

The Queen’s second cousin has been banned from driving after she was caught speeding in her Porsche Macan three times in ten days.

Lady Tatiana Mountbatten, 29, is an equestrian specialist and claimed losing her licence would cause her ‘significant hardship.’

She was caught on speed cameras a 60mph limit enforced on the M4 near Heston Service station, Lavender Hill magistrates heard.

Lady Tatiana appeared in court wearing a silk scarf under a designer coat to be given a six month driving ban for reaching 12 penalty points on her licence and was ordered to pay £565.

Mark Haslam, defending, said: ‘The defendant already has points on her licence as you will appreciate, although these are matters, matters in us the was unlawfully speeding

‘Even with the points that she must give in each case three going in exceed the 12 points.

‘She is eligible for the totting up disqualification.

‘I want to make it quite clear, there is going to be significant hardship.

‘But in the over all picture in instructions this that I have received that whilst there will be that hardship, it will be in a more professional sense.

‘That is the purpose of the disqualification for someone in her position, I understand it’s a lesson to those who speed in this way.

‘I don’t want the court to take the view that this is someone who was driving around ignoring the speed limit, it was three times within a very short space of time.

‘There had been a reduction in the speed limit from 70 to 60, of course in accepting that is that defendant’s responsibility to take that on board.’

Lady Tatiana was recorded driving her 2018 Porsche Macan at 70, 71 and 70 mph between the 6th and 10th of March this year.

She rides every morning in Windsor and drives to London to run her business horsehub.com, according to her website.

Lady Tatiana wrote in mitigation: ‘I use my car to drive to work every day. Seven days a week’.

She is the daughter of Lord Milford Haven, who is a cousin of the Queen’s. This makes Lady Tatiana the second cousin of the Queen.

The car is a 2018 plate and the Macan model retails at roughly around £50,000 brand new.

Regarding her dressage career, personal website reads: ‘All you really need to know is that I spend every day doing what I love more than anything in the world; riding horses.

‘I’m professional dressage rider based in Windsor.

‘Here, I train a couple of my own horses and some horses which have been put in training with me by some wonderful people who have trusted me with the education and career of their horse.

‘I hold monthly dressage clinics at home in West Sussex, Great Trippetts Polo Club to be more precise.’
The court heard Lady Tatiana will now have to use public transport and scounge lifts from her friends.

Mr Haslam said she was not aware that a speed limit had been enforced.

‘At that stage she was blissfully unaware. She just wanted to explain is it’s clearly unusual, it’s a misunderstanding.

‘The defendant is self-employed as a professional horse trainer.

‘I will ask you to deal with her as an errant motorist. She works very hard, very long hours as a horse trainer.

‘It is not a 9-5 occupation. The horses that she trains are out of London she would normally to have drive to and from for an hour.

‘She’s going to have to make other arrangements. She is going to have to use public transport.

‘She is going to have to beg, borrow and steal for lifts.

‘She is going to have to take steps at her expense to keep her business running.

‘She also has an HGV licence and is the only one in the operation who has one.

‘At her own convenience and expense she is going to have to find someone as a result of her behaviour and the consequences that will follow, that others who all work for her won’t be able to keep there jobs.

‘There may be repercussions, she the author of her own misfortune.

‘There is a knock-on effect as far as her employees are concerned. She recently taken up training as a therapist, that is something that she will have to put to one side.

‘Most importantly, the third particular consequence, in this one for some time she has worked on a voluntary basis riding for the disabled for a charity.’

Magistrate chair Mrs Bukky Okunade said: ‘We have heard what has been said on your behalf.

‘They are serious matters, it is a multi-matter. For each speeding matter you will be fined £150 pounds for each and you will be given 3 points for each.

‘A surcharge of £30, costs of £85 and, a total of £565.

‘You would have to be disqualified for six months you are disqualified for driving for six months, this means you cannot driving any motor vehicle.’