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Jemima Goldsmith blamed her builders as she was convicted and fined £1,000 over a run-in with the Metropolitan Police.
The TV producer and socialite failed to respond to police letters after a Mini Clubman vehicle registered in her name was caught breaking the speed limit in north London.
Goldsmith, 52, eventually offered up the name of the guilty driver who had been using her car.
However, by then, she had missed the deadline to respond to avoid court proceedings.
Goldsmith blamed major renovation work on her £10m Kensington home in a note to Westminster Magistrates’ Court explaining the blunder.
“Due to ongoing construction works at the property where my car is registered, which made access tricky, the original letter was mislaid by builders, and I was unaware of its existence until October,” she wrote.
“As soon as it was received, I completed and returned the form immediately.”
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Jemima Goldsmith was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court (PA)
Court papers show that Goldsmith named a man called Anthony Reilly, who lives in Switzerland, as the person who had been driving the Mini when it was caught doing 46mph on a 40mph stretch of the A1 in Hampstead on 28 August 2025.
But her response was dated 4 November – six days after the final police deadline, and two months after the first notification of a speeding ticket.
In a letter to the court, Goldsmith also referenced the death of her mother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, in October 2025 at the age of 91.
“My PA who collects the post had been on annual leave in October and my mother died on 18th that month, so I was less on top of things than I am normally,” she wrote.
“I am very sorry for the delay and inconvenience caused.
“I fully accept that a fine is due.”
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Jemima Goldsmith with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1996 (AFP/Getty)
Goldsmith was convicted by magistrate Gladys Famoriyo of failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle when required.
The magistrate imposed a £1,000 fine, six penalty points for her licence, and also ordered Goldsmith to pay £130 in costs and a £400 victim surcharge.
Goldsmith, who is known professionally as Jemima Khan, is the founder of a TV production company and has worked as a screenwriter and magazine editor.
She married former cricketer Imran Khan in 1995, who went on to become prime minister of Pakistan. They have two children together.
Documents filed with Kensington and Chelsea Council show Goldsmith successfully applied in 2025 for permission to carry out major renovations on her home, including the demolition and “grand” rebuild of one of the wings of the luxury property.
She was prosecuted over her failure to identify the speeding driver in the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track court process which spares defendants the need to come to court and allows magistrates to make decisions on convictions and sentences in closed-door hearings.
Goldsmith was among 1,905 defendants who were convicted and sentenced last week for failing to identify the driver of a vehicle when contacted by police.
More than 330 of those defendants lost their licence as a result of the conviction.