A sex toy advertisement that made fun of Prince Harry‘s autobiography was prohibited for showing up in places where kids might see it.
The digital billboard advertisement for Lovehoney had a picture of a ball gag and big writing that read, “Silence is golden, Harry.”
The link to the page where “replacement ball gags are available at” was displayed in smaller font below.
On February 8, it was on exhibit at Clapham Junction train station in London.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received one complaint that the ad was offensive and inappropriate for display in an untargeted medium where it could be seen by children.
Lovehoney said they did not believe the ad was inappropriate for untargeted display because a ball gag had no explicit sexual reference and children would not recognise it as a sex toy.
The retailer explained that the ad was created in response to the release of Harry’s memoir, which they pointed out contained ‘a number of indiscreet revelations, some of which had a sexual reference’.
At the time the ad was published, Lovehoney issued a press release saying it ‘was meant to be humorous and that not all family stories needed to be shared with the public’.
The ASA said it understood that some people would find the ad ‘distasteful’ but believed that it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.
However, it found that the image of a ball gag and references to the toy in the text were inappropriate for children to see.
The agency said: ‘We considered that while younger children were likely to be unaware of what the item was, older children might have greater awareness of what the object was intended for.
‘We therefore considered that the ad was inappropriate for outdoor display where it could be seen by children.
‘We concluded that the ad had been irresponsibly targeted.’
Harry released his book Spare on January 10, when he shocked Brits with multiple revelations.
These included the story of how he lost his virginity to an older woman and anecdotes about times he had done cocaine and psychedelics.