A FORMER royal aide has told a court he was "outraged and flabbergasted" by claims that he sexually abused a young girl, as he insisted he had "no knowledge" of his alleged victim.

Benjamin Herman, 80, of Four Acre Coppice, Hook, said the accusation that he sexually assaulted the girl in the early 1970s, when she was 11 or 12 years old, was "absolute fantasy".

The former Royal Marines major was on secondment as an equerry to the Duke of Edinburgh at the time of the alleged assaults, and later worked as private secretary for the Princess Royal.

Giving evidence today, Herman told the jury in his trial at London's Blackfriars Crown Court that he did not know the alleged victim and claims he abused her were "complete rubbish."

Asked by his defence barrister Nerida Harford-Bell whether he ever acted inappropriately with the alleged victim, Herman replied: "I have no knowledge, knowingly, of (the complainant) or any member of her family."

Ms Harford-Bell asked: "Have you ever acted inappropriately with any girl of that age?"

Herman replied: "No."

He said there had "never" been complaints about his behaviour towards children or women.

The court has heard Herman allegedly boasted about his links to the Royal Family and drove the young girl to Buckingham Palace in his VW camper van.

It is claimed he sexually abused her four times at his home in south west London or a nearby garage.

She confided in her friend about the alleged abuse 20 years ago, but went to police only after the Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012, the court has heard.

Herman told the jury today that the claim he drove around the forecourt of Buckingham Palace with the girl was "out of this world" and "complete fantasy".

"For someone in my position, it's just not done," he said.

"You don't behave in that way. My service was to the Duke of Edinburgh and the Royal Family and I was very proud of that. I was very aware of my position."

Asked how he reacted when he became aware of the allegations against him, Herman said: "I was outraged and flabbergasted. It was complete rubbish."

Dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and patterned blue tie, father-of-five Herman stood throughout his evidence in the witness box, while two of his daughters sat in the public gallery.

Herman denies three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 13 and one count of indecency with a child between January 1972 and January 1974.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow.