Hillary Clinton gets traffic ticket in London

(UPI) -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a reminder of how the rest of us live last week when she got a parking ticket in London.

While Clinton in town to receive a prize "in recognition of her significant and impressive contribution to international diplomacy," her Mercedes was parked illegally -- and a traffic cop was going to see that she paid.

Despite the raised voices of her bodyguards, the cop insisted on leaving the citation. Clinton was inside Chatham House receiving her award and participating and a question and answer session through the whole incident.

"The former U.S. secretary of state was parked for nearly 45 minutes without paying," explained Daniel Astaire, a councillor in Westminster City, where she was parked. "I'm sure she will understand that we have to be fair to everyone, regardless of their status on the world stage."

The ticket will cost £80 ($128), but the fee will be reduced to £40 ($64) if paid within 14 days.

And despite her former status as a foreign diplomat, Clinton shouldn't look to the State Department to pick up the tab, since she's now a private citizen.

According to Foreign Secretary William Hague, the American Embassy in London owes a whopping $12.5 million in parking fines.

And to think: Clinton's people could have avoided the whole kerfuffle if they'd ponied up the £3.30 it cost to park.