An award-winning British architect who berated and assaulted a flight attendant during a drunken outburst aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight has lost a prestigious judging position after being convicted of four criminal offenses.
Simone de Gale, 44, was removed from the judging panel of the World Architecture Festival after failing to appear in court over an incident involving a flight attendant and a sleeping baby.
The architect, who has previously been photographed meeting members of the British royal family, now faces arrest after a London court issued a warrant following her failure to attend the hearing.
The controversy began February 5, 2026, aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight traveling from Dubai to London’s Heathrow Airport.
According to testimony presented at Ealing Magistrates’ Court, de Gale became furious when flight attendant Sarah Jane Buckland politely asked her not to walk through an aisle where passengers, including a family with a 9-month-old baby, were sleeping.
What should have been a routine request quickly escalated into an angry confrontation.
Buckland testified that de Gale began shouting insults, repeatedly accused the crew of racism and demanded to speak with the captain.
The architect reportedly boasted about her professional status and income while belittling the flight attendants.
“I’m an architect and you’re just a f—ing air hostess,” de Gale allegedly shouted during the confrontation.
Witnesses told the court that she also accused employees of being poorly educated and claimed they were only there to serve food and drinks.
Buckland described the passenger’s behavior as extremely aggressive and said the confrontation unfolded rapidly.
The situation eventually turned physical.
According to court testimony, de Gale jabbed Buckland near her collarbone and grabbed her cardigan while continuing to argue with the crew.
Other passengers supported the flight attendant’s account, describing repeated accusations of racism and loud, insulting remarks.
When the aircraft landed at Heathrow, police officers boarded and arrested de Gale.
Body-camera footage showed her expressing disbelief when officers informed her she was being detained.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” she reportedly told police, adding that she had recorded the encounter on her phone.
De Gale denied touching anyone, but the case proceeded through the British courts.
On October 15, she failed to appear for her trial at Ealing Magistrates’ Court.
Her personal assistant reportedly contacted court officials to explain that de Gale had been stranded in Dubai since September 8 and expected to return to Britain that weekend.
The court proceeded without her and found her guilty of four offenses: assault by beating, being drunk aboard an aircraft, behaving in a threatening or disorderly manner toward a crew member, and using abusive or disorderly behavior likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
A warrant was subsequently issued for her arrest.
The legal troubles have now spilled into de Gale’s professional career.
Organizers of the World Architecture Festival confirmed to the Daily Mail that she had been asked to step down from this year’s judging panel.
The prestigious international event is scheduled to take place November 18 through 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bringing together leading architects and designers from around the world.
De Gale previously appeared on the festival’s website as one of the architecture professionals selected to evaluate competing projects.
Her removal represents a significant professional setback for an architect who has spent years building an international reputation.
De Gale founded Simone de Gale Architects in 2009, reportedly with assistance from a grant associated with the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
Her firm has worked on high-end residential and commercial developments, while her professional biography highlights international projects and consulting work.
She received an Architect of the Year honor at the Women in Construction Awards in 2017 and previously served in advisory positions connected to architectural and community organizations.
Her career also brought her into contact with prominent public figures.
In 2015, she was photographed at an event connected to the Stephen Lawrence Trust alongside then-Prince Charles and Catherine, now the Princess of Wales.
She later appeared in a British government campaign promoting exports and international business.
Those professional accomplishments have now been overshadowed by the criminal convictions and the fallout from her behavior aboard the flight.
The World Architecture Festival has not publicly detailed whether another judge will take her place.
De Gale has also not publicly provided a substantive response to the convictions or the festival’s decision.
The case underscores the serious legal consequences passengers can face when confrontations with flight crews escalate into abusive or violent behavior.
For now, de Gale’s next legal steps remain uncertain as authorities seek to bring her before the court following her conviction in absentia.
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