That's one less member of the royal family on our roads for a while. Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne and the Queen's eldest granddaughter, has been banned from driving for six months.
Zara, an Olympic medal-winning equestrian, wife of rugby player Mike Tindall and mother to Mia and Lena, was caught speeding at 91 mph in her Land Rover, near her home in the Cotswolds. Incidentally, she is an ambassador for the car brand, which is also a favourite of the Queen.
Zara received the ban at a court in Cheltenham, which came about thanks to the 'totting up' points system. She had nine penalty points from previous offences in the past three years, so the four points from this incident tipped her past 12 points, at which point a six-month ban is legally compulsory. She wasn't in court to hear the news, however: Zara is currently in Australia. Her lawyer pleaded guilty on her behalf, accepting that she had been driving in excess of 70 miles per hour on November 6 of last year. As well as the ban, she faces a fine of £666 plus costs, and an additional £151 charge, totalling £817.
Barry Warburton, Zara's representation, confirmed that he has already contacted her to instruct her not to drive while abroad. 'I've advised Mrs Tindall not to drive from today in Australia as any driving ban in the UK would affect her insurance in Australia', she said.
'Because Mrs Tindall already has nine points on her licence she was unable to accept a fixed penalty for this offence', explained Prosecutor Farley Turner.
Of course, this is not the first time a member of the royal family drove into hot water thanks to issues on the road. Last year, Prince Philip was involved in an incident while driving near the Sandringham Estate. A woman named Emma Fairweather experienced some injuries, prompting the Duke of Edinburgh to write her a letter in which he said that he was 'truly sorry', wished her a 'speedy recovery', and said that he was 'somewhat shaken after the accident.' He did not face charges.
READ MORE:****Inside Kate and Meghan's professional relationship