A married police officer guarding the royal family has admitted he sent a teenage girl "lewd" messages, including asking if she was a virgin, after taking her number while she was visiting Buckingham Palace.
Royalty and Specialist Protection Police Constable Andrew Daly is accused of taking the number of a 16-year-old girl while he was on duty in May 2016 and sending her "disrespectful" text messages.
The officer did not attend his misconduct hearing on Tuesday (December 4) at the Met's Empress State Building, but the panel heard he was not disputing the allegations.
Giving evidence, the woman, who is now over 18 and has not been named, said she had been visiting Buckingham Palace with her mum and sister when an armed officer asked for her number.
She said that despite telling Daly she was 16 he said she was not under-age and should take his number.
The woman added: "It was the Queen's tea party that we went to see because there was a parade.
"He was standing by one of the big gates and was one of the armed officers.
"I made sure I said I was 16 to him."
She said she did not really want to give her number to him.
The woman told the hearing she was originally from Hungary and had lived in the UK for six years.
When asked why she had questioned him about why he wanted her number, the woman told the hearing in west London that she did not think to "ask a policeman with a gun why he wanted something".
The woman said he soon began sending her messages including asking if she was a virgin.
She said: "I was disgusted, I felt quite violated. I had a random person talking to me and saying if I am a virgin.
"He was a police officer, he was someone I am supposed to trust while I am walking around the streets, that I am supposed to call when I am in trouble."
Daly did not contest allegations that he breached professional standards by obtaining the woman's telephone number when he should have been performing his professional duty, giving the impression he wanted to pursue a relationship with her, and sent her disrespectful messages.
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Charles Apthorp, counsel for the Met, said girl's age was an aggravating factor. He added: "It's a serious consideration. But whether the young lady was 16, 17, 18, 19 or 30 doesn't really matter.
"A police officer in the position that this officer was in should not be seeking to initiate sexual relations in this manner.
"We are in a very different place from where it was acceptable for police officers to pick up women outside Buckingham Palace."
The hearing continues.
