And finally… comedy of Manners

Lady Eliza Manners, 24, daughter of the Duke of Rutland, paid only £50 after she admitted driving her Audi A1 at 47mph in a 40mph section of the elevated M4 in Brentford.

A court accepted her plea under a process in which low-level criminal cases are handled online and in private.

Writing to Lavender Hill magistrates in an appeal for leniency, she said: “Paying a fine would cause me financial problems because it would cause me cash flow issues.”

The hard-up socialite must also pay £84 in court costs and has been given three points on her licence.

Courts can impose lower penalties – a mechanism reserved for exceptional cases.

Lady Eliza and her sisters, Lady Violet, 28 and Lady Alice, 26, are referred to in gossip columns as the “bad manners girls”. Lady Eliza is reputed to be “the wild one”. Her lavish circus-themed 18th birthday party was featured in Tatler magazine.