Queen's grandson flogs milk in China
While the world comes to grips with Harry and Meghan’s bold bid for ‘financial independence’ via Megxit, another member of the royal family is quietly earning some cold hard cash by endorsing a product overseas.
Peter Phillips, the Queen’s eldest grandchild, has been spotted by Daily Mail making the most of his royal connections by appearing in at least two television adverts for a government-owned dairy company in China.
In the ads, the 42-year-old son of Anne, Princess Royal, is seen in and around the grounds of a regal-looking estate dressed in a smart three-piece suit, all while clutching a glass of Bright Dairy’s ‘Jersey Fresh Milk’.
“This is what I drink,” Peter states before taking a hearty gulp.
Creamy goodness
Elsewhere, Peter declares his love for the beverage which, according to the ads, is produced in China by ‘purebred’ British Jersey cows, a breed native to Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
“Bright Dairies has got a fantastic reputation all over China and outside of China as well, for producing high-quality dairy products,” Daily Mail quotes him as saying.
According to the publication, the TV spots were filmed sometime last year and are being aired on local Shanghai station Dragon TV.
In a behind-the-scenes clip, Peter remembers drinking Jersey milk from the herd at Windsor, two hours drive from his childhood home at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire.
Royal ruckus
Peter has never held HRH status nor been a working member of the royal family so is not prohibited from earning an independent income unlike other senior royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or until recently, the Sussexes.
In the ads, however, he is prominently referred to as “British Royal Family member Peter Phillips” in Chinese text which, while technically correct, may leave him open to criticism for capitalising on his royal connections.
Following their exit from The Firm, Harry and Meghan are no longer permitted to use their HRH titles to generate a profit and must give up their multimillion-dollar Sovereign Grant funding.
Adding to the controversy is the fact that the stately Wiltshire property used in the commercial was included without permission, a spokesman for Longleat House told Daily Mail.
While Peter’s paycheque is unknown, Daily Mail estimates it to be in the ‘tens of thousands of pounds’.
Who is Peter Phillips?
Peter Phillips is the first child and only son of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is the first cousin to Princes Harry and William.
When he was born, Peter was 15th in line to the throne, however, his parents broke with 500 years of tradition and decided not to give him nor his younger sister Zara Tindall, 38, royal titles.
The siblings are ‘private individuals’ and, like their cousin Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, are not addressed as ‘His/Her Royal Highness’ and are instead known simply by their Christian names.
Peter raised eyebrows when he and his wife Canadian-born model/actor Autumn Phillips, 41, sold coverage of their 2008 wedding to HELLO! magazine for what’s believed to be about £500,000 (almost AUD$1 million).
Peter and Autumn share two daughters, Savannah, nine, and seven-year-old Isla, and still live on his mother’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
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