It hasn’t been a great few months for the royal family lately, with scandal after scandal hitting the headlines, from Prince Andrew’s disastrous tell-all BBC interview about Jeffrey Epstein, to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s bombshell revelation that they would be officially “stepping back” from their roles as senior members of The Firm.
And now, one of the British royal family’s most popular members, Zara Tindall, who is currently in Australia with her husband Mike and their children, Mia, five, and Lena, one, for the Magic Millions polo event, has been banned from driving after being caught speeding in the UK late last year.
The Queen’s granddaughter will not be allowed behind the wheel for six months, after police caught her driving at 91 mph (146 kmh) near her Cotswalds home in England, well above the maximum speed limit of 70 mph (112kmh).
The 38-year-old was driving her Land Rover at Daglingworth, near Cirencester, in November, which could make things awkward for the royal, who is an ambassador for the luxury car brand.
Zara arriving to the Queen’s Christmas lunch last year.
(Credit: Getty)
Zara, whose lawyer represented her in court in her absence, was fined £666 (AU$1250), plus ordered to pay legal costs and a victim surcharge of of £151 (AU$275).
The offence meant Zara was slapped with four demerit points. But because she had already lost nine points on her licence from previous offences, taking the total demerit points up to 13, she was stripped of her license.
In the UK, similar to Australia, a driver with 12 demerit points is usually stripped of their license and and banned from driving for a short period of time.
The court prosecutor Farley Turner said: “Because Mrs Tindall already has nine points on her licence she was unable to accept a fixed penalty for this offence.”
Mike and Zara Tindall pictured at a black tie event in London last December.
(Credit: Getty)It seems Zara has acquired her driving habits from her mother, Princess Anne, who has also been caught speeding multiple times in recent years.
She’s been caught speeding four times during her life – once at age 22 and again at 26, then later at age 40 in 1990 and age 50 in 2000.
WATCH BELOW: Zara Tindall’s first public appearance since suffering a miscarriage. Story continues after video.
It might be a while before Zara will need to her use license again, however.
The former Olympian and her husband Mike Tindall are currently holidaying on the Gold Coast, where they are attending the Magic Millions polo tournament.
The pair have been spotted attending numerous VIP red carpet events in their capacity as official royal ambassadors of the event.
