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Jewellery ad blunder may cause royal furore

LONDON — Fasten those seat belts. British Airways has hit turbulence over the use of a photograph of the Duchess of Cambridge to promote the sale of jewellery to its hundreds of thousands of passengers.

LONDON — Fasten those seat belts. British Airways has hit turbulence over the use of a photograph of the Duchess of Cambridge to promote the sale of jewellery to its hundreds of thousands of passengers.

In an apparent breach of both advertising guidelines and royal protocol, the Duchess is pictured in BA’s High Life Shop magazine, endorsing jewellery made by Azuni London. Under the headline Azuni London: Fit For A Princess, the Duchess is shown sporting a pair of Azuni’s earrings, retailing at £25 (S$53), which she had worn to a society wedding.

Azuni itself has made use of her “tacit” endorsement. Its advert in the magazine declares: “From the way we style our hair, to the shoes, clothes and jewellery we wear, Catherine Middleton is paving the way for a new generation of women.”

In a previous advert in the magazine, using the same photograph of the Duchess, Azuni stated: “Popular since ancient times (and recently with the Duchess of Cambridge), aqua chalcedony is believed to increase endurance and stamina, while promoting kindness and charity … the perfect piece for an official visit.”

Clarence House is thought to be not best pleased. While the Duchess’ official spokesman refused to be drawn on this infringement, the royal household helpfully emailed over the Advertising Standards Agency code on the use of royal images. Privacy rule 6.2 states: “Members of the royal family should not normally be shown or mentioned in a marketing communication without their prior permission.”

Andrew Robinson, Azuni’s sales supremo, was a little shamefaced when asked about the issue. “We are probably winging it,” he admitted, adding: “Legally, I don’t know where we stand. I am now petrified.” He said they had emailed The Royal Foundation, the Duke and Duchess’ charity, asking to use the image in return for a donation. They received no reply.

At least the Duchess is spared the horror of seeing the advert. She, the Duke and baby George flew on Qantas at the start of their tour Down Under. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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