Edward Fitzalan-Howard, Duke of Norfolk, you are banned from driving for six months. It is a news of relief in the United Kingdom for who he is but above all for what his next assignment is. In charge of the opening of Parliament or state funerals (the last, that of Isabel IIwhich he had been preparing for 20 years), is also the coronation of Charles III. The duke assures that he needs permission to organize it, but justice denies it.
It is not the first time that Fitzalan-Howard, 65, has been fined for misconduct behind the wheel, especially speeding. This time he has been for using the mobile phone and skipping a red light on April 7. His lawyer, Natasha Dasrdashti -says The Times– He asked the judge to take into account the high rank of his client and his fundamental role in concluding the ceremonial pomp after the death of the queen on September 8.
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“It is an extremely particular situation”, argued the lawyer, but the magistrate, Judith Way, admitting that it is “a unique case due to the role of the accused in society”, considers that the facts are not “exceptional”. Dasrdashti also unsuccessfully requested that the details that led to the sanction of the duke for potential national security problems not be revealed. Only those that allude to the coronation itself have been omitted.
“Crucial moment for the nation”
Fitzalan-Howard was the one who made the funeral of Isabel II an event of world importance and congratulated because everything went according to plan. He gathered 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey last Monday, including members of royal families and heads of state. And now he is embarking on the coronation, but his misconduct aboard his “old BMW” in Battersea, southwest London, turns everything upside down, or so his lawyer argues.
The Duke of Norfolk (right) in one of the acts in his charge after the death of Elizabeth II.
Reuters
“He needs to travel to every jurisdiction in the UK, talk to people and encourage them to get involved in what is going to be another world show.” (…) There is an extremely special set of circumstances at a really crucial point in the history of this nation,” Dasrdashti explained, without convincing the court, which withdraws 6 points from his client and imposes a fine of 800 pounds.
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The coronation of Carlos III is expected to take place in the spring or summer of 2023, formally ending the transition to the throne. The term is tradition, to keep a period of mourning. It is also the first major event in which the new king wants to show ‘austerity’ and no more excesses than those required by protocol. According to sources familiar with the preparations for The Mirror“will try to be representative of a monarchy in a modern world.”
descendant of Edward I, the Duke of Norfolk has held the title since 2022, when his father died. Divorced with five children, he has an approximate fortune of 100 million pounds. During the process he admitted the obvious: “Obviously, I have the financial capacity to hire a driver.”
