An on-the-run architect who drunkenly assaulted a Virgin Atlantic stewardess and accused her of racism has been axed from a plum role at an internationally renowned competition after a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Simone de Gale, 44, made headlines last week after failing to turn up to court to answer charges including assault by beating concerning her shocking behaviour on a flight from Dubai to London Heathrow on February 5.
The court heard how she assaulted stewardess Sarah Jane Buckland, accused her of racism and screamed ‘I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess’ after she had been asked not to disturb a sleeping baby.
The architect flew into a rage when she was politely asked not to walk through an aisle where passengers, including a family with a nine-month-old baby, were sleeping.
The ‘really aggressive’ architect repeatedly shouted and swore at staff and told them ‘You’re a f***ing dumb air hostess. You need to learn your place.’ She also jabbed at Ms Buckland near her collarbone and grabbed her cardigan.
Claiming she was stranded in Dubai, de Gale did not attend court this week and 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 manner towards a member of crew and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Now the Daily Mail can reveal de Gale has been sacked from a plum role as a judge at this year’s World Architecture Festival.
Simone De Gale, 44, was arrested by officers at Heathrow Airport following the February 5 flight in which she assaulted a stewardess
She failed to attend Ealing Magistrates’ Court and was found guilty of four charges in her absence, with a warrant put out for her arrest
De Gale screamed ‘I’m an architect and you’re just a f***ing air hostess’ when she was told not to disturb the infant on a Virgin Atlantic flight, Ealing Magistrates’ Court heard
The prestigious awards, being held this year in Florida, attract the best and brightest architectural talent, and de Gale previously had a profile page on their website.
But this was taken down in the wake of the hearing at Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
A spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘The organisers have requested that Simone de Gale has been asked to step down from the judging panel this year.’
The Daily Mail has contacted de Gale this week but has not heard back. The email address listed on her website is not reachable.
De Gale owns her own architects’ firm, having set it up in 2009 with the assistance of a bursary from The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
She previously met the Prince of Wales at an event for the trust in 2015, alongside Stephen’s mother Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
De Gale went on to win a host of accolades, according to bios and profile pages on several websites, including Architect of the Year at the Women in Construction Awards in 2017.
Her LinkedIn profile states she has worked on projects including the construction of London Underground infrastructure for Westfield shopping centre in White City in 2005 and designing facilities for staff at Gazprom – the Russian state-owned energy firm – in 2006.
She was also an architecture writer at the Huffington Post between 2016 and 2019, during which time she appears to have written just six articles.
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 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 International 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.’
