Architect who met King and Kate convicted over drunken assault on cabin crew on Heathrow flight

A prominent architect who previously met the King and the Princess of Wales has been convicted of drunkenly assaulting a cabin crew member on a Heathrow-bound flight from Dubai.

Simone de Gale, 44, was found guilty of four offences after failing to attend her trial at Ealing Magistrates' Court, where magistrates issued a warrant for her arrest.

The founder of Simone de Gale Architects was convicted of assaulting Virgin Atlantic crew member Sarah Buckland during the flight on February 5. She was also found guilty of being drunk on an aircraft and using threatening or abusive behaviour towards cabin crew.

An arrest warrant was issued for de Gale, of Notting Hill, west London, after she failed to attend her court appearance, the force said.

The architect’s LinkedIn page says she is head of planning for the Belgravia Society “with regards to all Belgravia related planning matters with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea”.

In footage of her arrest at Heathrow Airport, released by the Crown Prosecution Service, de Gale told officers “I’ve not touched anyone or anything”, adding: “I recorded everything on a video.”

After being told she was being placed under arrest, she replied: “I don’t think that’s possible.”

She was found guilty of behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew; being drunk in an aircraft; using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress; and assault by beating.