Firm slammed over 'Diana' lingerie ads

A Chinese firm has been accused of exploiting Princess Diana's memory by featuring a lookalike in lingerie adverts. The adverts have been splashed across billboards in shops and airports across southern China and feature the model posing in bra and pants.



In one the 'princess' is seen wearing a tiara and necklace as she plays a cello to entertain a young child. In another, the Diana lookalike is pictured wearing a blue chemise to promote Jealousy International's range of 'Diana' lingerie. The adverts, which were unveiled on the anniversary of Diana's death on August 31, 1997, are accompanied by the slogan: "Feel the romance of British royalty, Diana underwear."

The website of the company, based in Foshan in China's Guandong province, boasts a section on the Diana range with the slogan: "Free your mind, free your style." Sam Chambers, a British expat, saw one of the ads at Shenzhen airport.



He said: "I was just going to collect my baggage from the carousel when I saw it flash up on a rolling advertising screen and couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. I thought 'surely not' because it was rolling quite quickly, so I waited to check when it came up again and, sure enough, there was an image of Diana." While in Britain there are restrictions on using images of royalty to promote goods and services, authorities are powerless to act against foreign firms.