Britain's Princess Anne convicted after dog attack

Britain's Princess Anne has become the first member of the royal family to be convicted of a criminal offence.

She admitted a charge under Britain's Dangerous Dogs Act after one of her pets bit two children in Windsor Great Park.

The case was heard at East Berkshire Magistrates Court in Slough, UK.

The Princess admitted the offence just minutes after arriving in court to the face allegation.

The 52-year-old Princess, flanked by her husband, Commodore Tim Laurence, walked into East Berkshire Magistrates Court in Slough in front of dozens of news photographers.

It was alleged that her English bull terrier injured the children, aged seven and 12, as they walked in the park on April 1 two days after the death of the Queen Mother.

The Princess and her husband were summonsed under Section 3 (1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and were alleged to have been in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control in a public place and injured the children.

The case against Commodore Laurence was dropped when the Princess admitted the offence.

At a 15-minute hearing on October 9, District Judge Terence English ordered the couple to appear personally in court.

The Princess was unable to attend that hearing because she was on a charity visit to Ethiopia, her lawyer Hugo Keith told the court.