Archbishop Of Canterbury Fined For Traffic Violation Days After Anointing King Charles

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Reverend Justin Welby, has been fined more than £500 for over speeding in London, the United Kingdom.

Justin Welby was also given three penalty points for the same offense.

Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court ordered Welby to pay a £300 fine, a £120 victim surcharge, and £90 in legal costs, as well as adding the penalty points to his driving licence.

The Archbishop, who anointed King Charles III as King of England three days ago, was recorded driving at 25mph in a 20mph zone in his Volkswagen Golf last year in 2022.

The 67-year-old had been going along the Albert Embankment towards his official residence at Lambeth Palace.

BBC reports that Welby had admitted the offence in writing and was sentenced at a private magistrates’ court hearing.

The report said that the archbishop  was prosecuted through the single justice procedure.

Single justice procedure is a method that allows courts to deal with cases without the defendant having to go to the hearing.

Welby  pleaded guilty online on Wednesday, the same day he appeared at the House of Lords to condemn the government’s Illegal Migration Bill.

But a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace said the archbishop was not aware that the case might be dealt with in court.

The spokesperson said, “He has tried to resolve this and pay the fine three times. He has all the paperwork to prove that he has tried to pay. Admin errors seem to be causing problems.”