This will show you how American I am: I am so used to American public figures having security personnel function as drivers that it never occurred to me that British public figures would get to choose their own drivers, their own cars, their own “official” rides. Like, Pres. Obama only rides in an up-armored, bomb-proof limo because that’s what the Secret Service demands for his security. Same with many high-profile Americans (who receive threats, etc) – their private security will provide armored cars or SUVs and all that jazz. But when it comes to the royal family (and the royal family-adjacent), it’s a bit more laissez faire. Apparently, they get to choose their own cars/SUVs, and they get to participate in “VIP schemes” offered by certain car companies. According to the Daily Mail, the Middleton family – and maybe even the Queen?! – has entered into one of these “VIP schemes” with Range Rover.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s family has joined an elite group of famous people signed up to Range Rover’s exclusive VIP scheme. Kate’s mother Carole Middleton, brother James and sister Pippa are all enjoying the use of their very own top-of-the-range, four-wheel-drive Range Rovers in return for acting as unofficial ambassadors for the company.
The exclusive lease scheme has attracted criticism in the past for signing up celebrities such as fashion designer Henry Holland and model Daisy Lowe to effectively advertise the cars by tweeting and writing blogs about them.
Although the cars are not provided entirely free of charge, it is understood that the Middletons pay a fraction of the normal amount.
‘The Middletons’ Range Rovers have been leased to them as part of the VIP scheme,’ a source revealed. ‘The idea is that you pay a small percentage of the usual fee in return for certain services – which can be as little as being seen driving around in the vehicle. Being associated with royalty does wonders for the brand.’
It isn’t just Kate’s mother and siblings who are happily demonstrating their allegiance to the luxury carmaker.
When choosing a car to carry his wife and new baby home from hospital, Prince William plumped for a new Range Rover worth about £140,000 – eschewing the Royal Family’s long-standing agreement with Audi.
And when navigating the off-road terrain at Balmoral during a recent visit to the Scottish Royal residence, the Queen also opted to take the wheel of a Range Rover. The Duke of Edinburgh was later seen driving a Land Rover Freelander, part of the same stable of vehicles.
Is this tacky? I really can’t decide. The fact that the Queen and Prince Phillip have been spotted in Range Rovers makes it less tacky, I guess. It makes it seem less like “Carole Middleton is participating in some scheme that nets her family free Range Rovers” and more like “the royal family and the royal family-adjacent have simply changed car brands.” I didn’t even realize that the royal family HAD a “long-standing agreement with Audi,” although in retrospect, I guess that makes sense. Wasn’t William’s first car (at university) an Audi? I think it was. But I believe Prince Charles prefers a Jaguar. Anyway, I thought Duchess Kate made a big deal about not accepting freebies? We still don’t have evidence that she (personally) accepted a freebie, although I think it’s interesting that William chose to drive Kate and Prince George away from the hospital in the same model Range Rover that Middleton family members are now driving. Hm.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
There are money-making opportunities everywhere!
Cool! So the next time we see Kate’s skirt fly up we might see the words “PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION FURNISHED BY RANGE ROVER”.
p.s. I love Kate’s legs. If I had her legs I’d be walking in the wind all day. But I don’t like her family’s cash-grabby, peerage-grabby style.
Remind me of the Kardashians, after all doesn’t the illusional Kanye thinks his daughter is royalty and he’s the son of God? Ugh!
The 2 families are very alike. 1 just has titles and better PR on their side.
My very first car was a Volkswagen of 1982……it was a dream come true to have my car. I want to be rich and famous if only for the freebies…it must be fun to afford some things but still have the offer to pay less and save the money that we poor people can’t. Ehhhh…..rich people problems
Yup.
This annoys me, but I’m not sure why..
Me, too! My first thought was, “ugh, the Middletons are so tacky, of course they would do this,” but I can’t really say what’s wrong with doing it. It just annoys me.
Same here. Whether these arrangements are participated in by royalty or royalty-adjacent individuals doesn’t matter to me. I take issue with how the royals want to distinguish themselves from celebrities while still getting the same perks. They want more respect and more privacy than celebrities, but then we turn around and hear stories such as this. This idea of it’s tacky to take freebies, but deep discounts are okay is just absurd. The idea that “I want to be seen as normal” but I’ll keep the nannies, butlers, maids, luxury cars, multiple estates, luxury vacations, etc. is silly. In return they just act on behalf of God and country. I can’t buy into that trade-off. I must add, however, that I’m American and obviously the tradition and history that goes along with royalty is something I don’t find myself “attached” to in a way that their respective citizens may see it. Perhaps I just need to meet and/or experience royalty to understand. Hopefully someone will come along and elaborate. 🙂
EDIT: I must add that the idea of wanting to be seen as a normal is very much a William and Harry thing. I don’t see other royals touching on that notion as much as I do these two.
Agreed.
You’re annoyed because this is a non-story.
The MIddleton family do not need freebies. They are wealthy from their own ingenuity and hard work. They may lease their cars, but I doubt they need to participate any scheme such as this. Read this article in British paper days ago..it seems unfair to keep targeting them as they seem to be a nice family who would go unnoticed in the press if their daughter was not married to WIlliam.
The Middletons are rich, it doesn’t mean that they don’t receive discounts. As do many rich people.
That said, Kate and Pippa received free clothes fom Issa is exchange for free publicity when Kate was still a royal GF.
Also, Kate received an audi at the royal discount as a royal GF.
Most rich people get ridiculous discounts for stuff. Which makes NO sense because they can actually afford the steep price tag.
But LAK is correct, this is nothing new for long term Royal watchers. Weren’t there other deals too?
Yes, there were other deals all to do with Kate’s status as a royal GF.
I was just about to ask this question. I remember reading that Kate & Co were getting freebies before they got married.
The über rich ALL receive ridiculous discounts. It’s just we hear about it with a certain few.
Yes it’s tacky. It also makes little sense. How does an association with James Middleton do any brand any good. His own company is fiscally unsound.
This is just another perk William bestowed the Middletons, along with that big ole manor house he bought them. Carole placed her bets wisely.
I think they have always used Range Rovers. It’s iconically British. Even in the animated movie Cars 2 a few years back, the villain is a Range Rover and they make an attempt on the queen and all her security are rovers if I remembering correctly.
Land Rover and Jaguar are both British car manufacturers. It makes way more sense for the BRF to promote them than German cars like Audi or VW.
Actually, Land Rover is owned by an Indian company and Jaguar was owned by a Chinese company. They are just hoping the big names will sustain their brand name. The product is garbage.
Also, the Brits and their colonies use the term ‘scheme’ which in North America had a negative connotation. Think of it as a VIP Package.
About 10 years ago both Jaguar and Land Rover were owned by Ford. As was Volvo. But when Ford restructured Jaguar and Land Rover were one of the first brands to be sold with Volvo just being sold w/i the last three years.
But the labels are still identified as British (Jaguar & Land Rover) or Swedish (Volvo) even if foreigners now own them.
When Kate “coincidentally” went to William’s planned University, her parents “coincidentally” bought her the same exact car as him, a blue Audi.
Pippa used to drive a BMW Z series. She received a series of parking tickets and even had her car booted, all captured by the paparazzi before The Middletons Brand married into royalty.
Wasn’t there an article out there on how Kate hustled to get an Audi while dating William? The argument was something like the prince’s gf is seen in their car? She ended up getting the car with a big reduction on price.
The article (another DM one) stated that Kate did indeed get the Royal’s discount while dating William for her Audi. Google it — it should still be available.
The article was bogged down as most articles not praising are.
William’s first car was a VW.
It doesn’t surprise me there is a deal with automakers and VIPs. I’m sure there are comparable ones here in the States too. As an example, Volvo has one for the military.
Is this even a big deal? I think the use of the word “scheme” is more British and something we would just call an “arrangement” or “agreement” here in the US. It isn’t any different from celebrities wearing a designer’s clothes for free or Tweeting about a certain brand – only it’s the Middletons. They’re always going to be scrutinized.
It appears that the royals do this as well, so it’s not just the Midds grabbing money.
This is how the royal family got so darn rich – they’ve always had an eye for a money-making opportunity.
On one hand, they get bashed if the Royals spend too much tax money. On the other hand they get bashed for using Range Rovers ( a brand that’s part of Jaguar/Land Rover, which the Queen has used for decades…). But the Middletons…? They could use their own money, that’s for sure.
The Queens used Range Rovers for decades. I doubt she arranged any type of deal, Range Rover is quintessentially British (though it’s now a subsidiary of an Indian manufacturer) and it’s part of her role to promote things like that. The Middletons and William on the other hand just love a good freebie.
Gas guzzler
Just get a nice little prius or something.
If they were normal people sure, but they’re not desite trying to appear as such.
RR’s are safe and secure. For security reasons I see why they would choose these cars rather than a sedan or prius.
Did you know that with the production process and waste created, the Prius is actually one of the least environmentally friendly cars?
No matter how much b*tching and moaning I see here… the simple fact is… The Middleton family will forever be hounded by the press. It would have made no difference who William had married. The girls family… was always going to be a magnet for the tacky British media, to scrutinize for the rest of their entire life.
So what, if Range Rover came to them and offer a greatly discounted vehicle for their use. Good for them. The Middleton’s can’t fart without the media there to capture it.
They might as well drive a good looking SUV.
I see it as a trade off for having no privacy. They will never be able to leave the house again, without some weirdo with a camera hanging out in front of the drive. Might as well look good in a new Range Rover. *Beep*Beep*
Middletons aren’t some innocent victim who happens to be in this position, they plotted and paid a fortune so Kate can finally snag William so making them innocent is not correct IMO. No other family of a royal’s in law get so much media attention because they keep a low profile, don’t take free Wimbledon tickets, publish books or these cars deal,, write newspaper columns etc. It’s not media , it’s them!
Truth. Pippa is only employed because of her sister. Cannot use the media then cry foul when given attention.
You don’t see any other royal in laws making bank like the Middletons. The Parker Bowles and Shands don’t, and Diana’s family didn’t either except after her death.
Pippa is not attractive at all, i seriously can’t stand her face, neither is kate for that matter. These women are not beautiful. I wish advertising wouldn’t push their faces in ours everyday.
Kate drives range rovers as well. Has done for years.
I’m fine with what you might call “real life product placement” as long as it doesn’t involve active promotion (ads, tweets, whatever). After all, they have to drive SOME sort of car, and some company is going to get publicity out of the fame of the royal family and the Middletons. Why shouldn’t they get a cut of the benefits? But an ad or something like that would be tacky use of the royal connection.
I think the Middletons should be more conscious of their public image. They are already seen by many as being opportunistic social climbers who aren’t shy about exploiting their royal connection – and this deal with Range Rover just reinforces that. And before you say “Who cares what the public thinks”?, anything the Middletons do reflects on Will and Kate – that’s why they asked Pippa to stop her self-promotion.