Architect Simone de Gale has been removed from a prestigious international architecture competition after a warrant was issued for her arrest over an alleged drunken assault on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
De Gale, 44, came under scrutiny last week when she failed to appear in court to face charges, including assault by beating, arising from an incident on a flight from Dubai to London Heathrow on February 5.
Ealing Magistrates’ Court heard that she assaulted stewardess Sarah Jane Buckland, accused her of racism and shouted: “I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess,” after being asked not to disturb a sleeping baby.
The confrontation began when the architect was politely told not to walk through an aisle where passengers—including a family travelling with a nine-month-old baby—were asleep.
Described as “really aggressive”, de Gale allegedly continued shouting and swearing at members of the cabin crew, telling them: “You’re a f***ing dumb air hostess. You need to learn your place.” She also reportedly jabbed Ms Buckland near the collarbone and seized her cardigan.
De Gale said she was stranded in Dubai and did not attend court this week. She was convicted in her absence of assault by beating and being drunk aboard an aircraft.
She was also found guilty of behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly way towards a crew member, as well as using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Our News Outlet can now reveal that de Gale has also been removed as a judge from this year’s World Architecture Festival.
Simone De Gale, 44, was arrested by officers at Heathrow Airport after the February 5 flight, during which she assaulted a stewardess
She failed to appear at Ealing Magistrates’ Court and was convicted in her absence on four charges, prompting the issue of a warrant for her arrest
Ealing Magistrates’ Court heard that De Gale shouted, “I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess,” after being asked not to disturb an infant on a Virgin Atlantic flight
The prestigious awards, taking place in Florida this year, draw leading figures from across the architecture industry. De Gale had previously been featured on the event’s website.
Her profile was removed following Thursday’s hearing at Ealing Magistrates’ Court.
A spokesman told Our News Outlet: “The organisers have requested that Simone de Gale step down from this year’s judging panel.”
Our News Outlet contacted de Gale this week but has received no response. The email address published on her website was also unreachable.
De Gale runs her own architecture firm, which she founded in 2009 with support from a bursary provided by The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
In 2015, she met the Prince of Wales at an event organised for the trust, where she appeared alongside Stephen’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
According to biographies and professional profiles published online, de Gale has received several industry honours, including Architect of the Year at the Women in Construction Awards in 2017.
Her LinkedIn profile says she worked on London Underground infrastructure connected to Westfield shopping centre in White City in 2005. It also lists work designing staff facilities for Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, in 2006.
Between 2016 and 2019, she also worked as an architecture writer for the Huffington Post, where she appears to have contributed six articles.
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De Gale was also appointed as a board adviser at The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust and became Head of Planning at The Belgravia Society in June 2024.
The organisation, based in one of London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, says it is a charity set up to ‘to create a civic society in Belgravia with an holistic approach to the community’.
De Gale is still listed as a committee member on the charity’s website.
De Gale (left) is seen meeting Kate Middleton in May 2015 along with Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in south London
De Gale (pictured meeting King Charles), of Notting Hill, was today convicted of four charges including behaving in a threatening, abusive, insulting or disorderly manner towards a member of crew, being drunk in an aircraft and assaulting Ms Buckland by beating
An arrest warrant has been issued by a judge for De Gale after she failed to attend court
She has also previously fronted a government message under the Conservatives in 2021, appearing on posters for the Department for Business and Trade’s Made in the UK, sold to the world campaign.
At court on Thursday, it was heard de Gale’s personal assistant contacted officials to say she had been stranded in Dubai since September 8 and was due to return to the UK this weekend.
Prosecutor Sinan Ors told the court how de Gale became verbally abusive and threatening towards members of the cabin crew, before physically assaulting stewardess Ms Buckland.
Giving evidence, Ms Buckland described how the incident began when de Gale – who has previously been pictured meeting both King Charles and the Princess of Wales – attempted to cross an aisle near a sleeping family.
Ms Buckland told the court ‘I said to her: ‘Would you mind not crossing at the cross aisle?’
‘I say it every flight, and she came straight across and started shouting at me: “You’re a f***ing dumb air hostess. You need to learn your place”.
‘She called me racist. “You’ve only said this to me because you’re racist”.
‘It was just a barrage of those words.’
Asked how de Gale had been speaking, she replied: ‘Really loudly, really aggressive. It happened so quickly.’
Ms Buckland said de Gale had demanded to see the captain, shoved a phone camera in people’s faces and made repeated references to her own profession.
‘She was pointing. “Get me the captain now. You’re only saying this to me because you’re racist, and I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess”.’
Her account was backed up by passengers on board the flight, who told the court de Gale had repeatedly accused staff of racism, boasted of earning more money than them and claimed stewardesses were ‘only there to serve drinks and food’.
When arrested on arrival at Heathrow Airport, bodycam footage shows how she told officers ‘I don’t think that’s possible,’ before adding: ‘I recorded everything on a video.’
