Looks like Audi have the royal approval and an invite to the wedding







The Royal wedding is at the centre of controversy over an invitation for an executive at the luxury car company that gives cut-price deals to the Royals.
Among those personally invited to the wedding breakfast by Prince William and Kate Middleton is Jon Zammett, head of public relations at the German car manufacturer Audi, who will join the Queen and the rest of the Royals on April 29.
For more than ten years members of the Royal Family have benefited from Audi’s privileged leasing and ownership deals.


Invited guest: Jon Zammett (right), pictured here with actor James Nesbitt, is Audi's public relations chief

Prince Charles and his household drive a fleet of luxury Audis while William, Prince Harry and Kate all own or lease one of the German cars. The Queen also has one.
As highly valued customers, the Royals are able to take advantage of Audi’s VIP terms and conditions – members of the Royal Family not only have their cars personally delivered to their homes but they also receive a discount.
Such favourable leasing arrangements are not available to ordinary motorists.
Audi has spent tens of thousands of pounds in sponsoring the Princes’ annual charity polo matches. Last year the Princes’ teams played the Audi Team at Coworth Park in Berkshire.
Charles has owned or leased a number of Audis in his long relationship with the company, some of which he makes available to his staff. His luxury A8 limousine is worth up to £92,500. Harry drives a black three-door Audi A3 turbo-diesel, worth £18,000, while William has a powerful S4 4.2 litre V8 saloon, worth £23,000.



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Mr Zammett became a friend of the Princes after working with them on their charity polo matches. The PR chief, who took a fine art degree at Chelsea School of Art between 1975 and 1977, is known as a dapper dresser often photographed in the company of celebrities.
Before joining Audi he was head of public relations at car company Seat UK.
Among the guests at the Coworth Park event were Friends actor Matt LeBlanc and singer Natalie Imbruglia, who knows Harry through their mutual friend Sam Branson.
A friend of the Princes said at the time: ‘Audi have spent a small fortune putting on the event and there was a champagne reception and then lunch after the match, and lots of very important people were there. It was all about the Princes wining and dining their trustees and raising money and awareness for the foundation.’
In his first public visit to his prospective in-laws in 2009, William chose a black Audi for the journey to their home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, from his father’s Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire. Charles runs his Audi on biodiesel made from used cooking oil.

Royal favourite: Kate Middleton behind the wheel of her Audi, which is the car of choice for many members of the Royal Family

John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, said Mr Zammett’s inclusion on the list may well raise eyebrows. ‘It is remarkably odd that an executive from a car manufacturer which does not make cars in this country is invited when others are not,’ he said.
‘The wedding may be a private affair for the family but it is also a public event where it will look odd that a car company boss is among the invited guests of ambassadors and other public figures from all over the world.’
A spokesman for Audi said of the links between the company and the Royals: ‘It started with Prince Charles...it’s really straightforward – they tell us which car they would like to see, we send them around. They either lease them or buy them. Most VIPs would get some kind of discount.’
She added: ‘Jon Zammett is head of PR and he has been invited [to the wedding] because of Audi’s long-standing relationship with the Princes.’ She said Audi had made ‘considerable donations’ to the Princes’ foundations and charities and also hosted the annual Audi Polo Challenge.
Commenting further on the deals for the Royals and Kate Middleton, the spokesman added: ‘Kate and the Royal Family pay for all their Audis, there is no gifting.
‘They receive a VIP service which includes look-books being sent to their homes where they can discuss the cars with our staff and cars being sent to their homes so they don’t have to go to the showrooms.
‘They change them every year or so but they pay for them when they choose to update the cars.’



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