Prince Philip’s former aide, 79-year-old Benjamin Herman, has been charged with indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl while working for the royal family.

Mr Herman, the Duke of Edinburgh’s former equerry who was later Princess Anne’s own aide, will appear in court on Monday for three charges of indecent assault and one charge of attempted indecent assault against the alleged victim in the 1970s.

The charges relate to Mr Herman’s time working for Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace. The aide, an ex-marine, told the Daily Mirror that he would fight the charges.

Scotland Yard is understood to have examined the official diaries of the Prince during a two year period, from January 1972 to January 1974, when the alleged attacks are said to have taken place. It is not known whether detectives have questioned any members of the royal family or not.

The alleged victim is now in her 50s, and came forward to police following revelations made through the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal.

Mr Herman worked for Prince Philip as his equerry, a personal attendant, for three years, before he became a private secretary for Princess Anne, running her household after she was married in 1974. He later returned to military service where he became a Lieutenant-Colonel.  

Detectives have reportedly taken statements from former palace staff, and Mr Herman will appear at Wimbledon magistrates court in South London on Monday.

Mr Herman was arrested 18 months ago and has been on bail since, after voluntarily attending the police station. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed on Wednesday that he had been charged.

He now lives in Hook, Hampshire, and is believed to have lives between a home in Windsor and Wellington Barracks, close to Buckingham Palace, at the time of the alleged attacks.

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