A former equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh appears at Kingston crown court on charges relating to a 12-year-old girl

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A former aide to the Duke of Edinburgh has appeared in court accused of sexually abusing a young girl in the early 1970s.

Benjamin Herman, 79, of Hook, Hampshire, spoke only to confirm his name as he stood in the dock at Kingston crown court on Monday. A date of 18 May 2015 was provisionally set for his trial at the same venue.

He is charged with three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and one of attempted indecent assault on a girl under 16.

They are alleged to have been carried out on a girl aged 12 in 1972 at a house in London used by military personnel, where Herman was living at the time.

Herman was a serving major in the Royal Marines at the time, on secondment as equerry – a personal assistant – to Prince Philip.

Herman was released on conditional bail to appear at Kingston crown court for a preliminary hearing on 5 November.