'Aide is no sex threat to women, he's gay'

A senior aide to the Prince of Wales accused of groping a secretary when she worked for Charles's household is gay, a lawyer revealed today.

Adam Tolley, counsel for Clarence House, said the prince's assistant private secretary Paul Kefford could not have been a sexual threat to Elaine Day because he is homosexual. Miss Day, 45, claims she was unfairly dismissed from Charles's household and experienced sexual discrimination. She alleges Mr Kefford, touched her " inappropriately" at work.

At a Croydon employment tribunal, Mr Tolley asked her: "You are aware of Mr Kefford's sexuality?" She replied: "I was told he was homosexual. I did not know what he was."

Mr Tolley added: "He was no sexual threat to you of any kind." Miss Day, from Belvedere, Kent, replied: "I did feel threatened by him."

Earlier today she told the hearing she had kept a secret diary because she knew she was in "dangerous waters", and that every time Mr Kefford groped her, she recorded it on a computer log.

Miss Day, who worked in the prince's household for five years, said she felt it was the only way she could protect herself.

She said: "I kept the records because I realised I was entering very, very dangerous waters and I didn't know how things would end."

Mr Tolley claimed she had changed her story about the alleged physical harassment at least five times, and embellished her story. He said any incident was completely innocuous and perhaps a friendly gesture.

He also accused her of taking confidential documents - including a note handwritten by the prince - from the office without permission.

Mr Tolley also accused Miss Day of "saving up" her complaints for later use. She insisted: "No, not at all. I was just trying to survive."

Miss Day strongly denied stealing Charles's memo. She claimed she believed it was her right to take it because it had "originated" from her. She said she was keeping it as "memorabilia".

She admitted it had not been addressed to her personally but to the prince's senior aide, Mark Bolland.

Mr Tolley reminded her she had signed a confidentialityagreement that covered her time working for Charles's household. He put it to her that she was intending to use documents she had taken from the office and publish them. She insisted: "No, I was not intending to publish them."

She said she suffered victimisation and sexual harassment from Mr Kefford over five months in 2002, until she told him to his face to stop. The royal household contests her claims.

The hearing continues.