Communist spy plotted to use queen of skincare Eve Lom to target Princess Diana and infiltrate the Royal Family

A communist spy tried to use “skin care queen” Eve Lom to attack Princess Diana and infiltrate the royal family, an investigation by the Mail on Sunday has found.

The Czechoslovakian agent used diplomatic cover to contact Ms. Lom in July 1987 in hopes of gaining access to her influential clients, declassified state security records show.

At the time, Ms. Lom ran a successful London salon frequented by the rich and famous, and was on her way to turning her skincare brand into a cosmetics giant.

One of her friends and clients of particular interest to the spies was Lady Fermoy, lady-in-waiting and confidante of the Queen Mother, and the grandmother of Princess Diana.

Despite her success, Mrs. Lom remained in a vulnerable position. She had defected from her native Czechoslovakia as a teenager in 1968 after the Russian invasion to crush the Prague Spring, but still had relatives in the country who were effectively “hostages.”

Princess Diana talks to her grandmother Ruth, Lady Fermoy

The spy initially approached opera-loving Ms. Lom and tried to broker a deal when she attended a concert featuring Czech composer Josef Suk’s work in Norfolk.

A secret telegram sent back to spymasters in Prague read: ‘Lom is a close friend of Lady Ruth Fermoy (Princess Diana’s grandmother), who was patron of the festival at King’s Lynn and who invited her to the concert.

Mrs. Lom asked me if I could help her with a record of (Jan) Ciker’s opera Juno Janosik. In return, Mrs. Lom promised to get Lady Fermoy’s address for the embassy.’

The spy noted that if relations with Mrs. Lom were fruitful, they could further explore Diana’s grandmother and “discover her contacts and possibilities.”

However, the officer noted some concerns about Ms. Lom’s character, saying she “gives the impression of being a bit cocky.”

Undeterred, he later visited her at her salon, where he delivered the sheet music and libretto for the opera. But while discussing her “select clientele” in general, she declined to give details about them.

Mrs. Lom would not have been aware that the agent was a spy, as he had been posted to the Czechoslovak embassy under the guise of a diplomat.

The spy noted that if relations with Mrs. Lom were fruitful, they could further explore Diana’s grandmother and “discover her contacts and possibilities.”

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday from her central London penthouse, Ms Lom, former wife of Pink Panther actor Herbert Lom, said how dealing with the handling of officials from her home country during the Cold War was ‘frightening’.

My family was taken hostage. That’s how the Czech dictatorship held its grip,” she said. Most people will not understand a totalitarian regime until they have lived under it. But I didn’t give anything.’

She said she would have given the agent a cool reception, adding: “Had it not been for the absolutely fabulous Lady Fermoy, you know what I would have done? I would have broken his nose.’