Videos emerged this week showing Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips appearing in a commercial to promote Jersey milk sold by Chinese state-owned multinational corporation Bright Dairies.
In the advert, which features the caption ‘British Royal Family member Peter Phillips’, the 42-year-old boasts of being brought up on Jersey milk from the herd at Windsor.
And although the commercial has no connection with Jersey Dairy, and the milk was not produced in the Island, the company is welcoming the advert as a nice bit of free publicity.
‘In the clip, Peter Phillips talks very strongly about being brought up on Jersey milk and that it is creamier and has a higher protein and calcium content,’ said Bob Jones, head of marketing for Jersey Dairy.
‘So, in that respect, the advert won’t do us any harm at all. Although we have had no involvement with it, it is quite good publicity for us, as we are the flag bearer of Jersey milk throughout the world,’ he added.
Confusingly, the advert appears to splice together footage of a stately home, believed to be Longleat House in Wiltshire, with a replica of a coach used by the Queen on state occasions.
It goes on to show an aerial view of green hills, with a caption in Chinese which reportedly translates as, ‘The royal estate of Britain – Jersey Island’, before moving on to a close-up shot of a small herd of cows munching on grass.
None of the footage actually shows Jersey and it is understood that the cows
used may be Swiss cows, not Jerseys.
Raising a glass of Jersey milk at the end of the commercial, Mr Phillips says: ‘This is what I drink.’
Although Mr Phillips has never had HRH status, his potentially lucrative appearance in the advert has intensified the debate over how Prince Harry and Meghan may use their Royal status for commercial gain in the coming years.
Mr Jones, meanwhile, says Jersey Dairy is avoiding the ‘overcrowded’ milk industry in China, and only exports ice cream to the Far Eastern state. The dairy has instead focused its milk exports on places including Hong Kong, South Korea and the Philippines.
