Prince Harry's Audi RS6 Avant up for sale

The story of Prince Harry's romance with Meghan Markle escalated into a transatlantic, romantic fairy tale, culminating in their marriage earlier this year. And the car that played a part in their courtship is now for sale on British classifieds listing site AutoTrader for just shy of $95,000.

The car-buying habits of the British royal family may not keep you awake at night, but there is some vicarious interest in speculating on the very specific requirements such a person might have. Sure, the patriotic choice would be something like a Bentley or Aston Martin, both offering the kind of luxury and performance a young prince-about-town might desire while simultaneously flying the flag for iconic British brands. And Harry did drive Meghan off in an electric Jaguar E-Type Zero on their wedding day.

So Harry's choice of an anonymous, metallic grey Audi station wagon does seem a little left-field, perhaps. Until you consider the qualities the RS6 Avant has in abundance. Not standing out from the crowd is a huge plus when you've got photographers following your every move, likewise the performance to get away from them if they do track you down.

A 552 bhp, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and all-wheel drive certainly provide that capability, it being interesting to note Harry's RS6 was spec'ed with the Dynamic Package. This raises the 155 mph limiter to 174 mph, while avoiding the more attention-seeking embellishments of the Dynamic Plus Package and its prominent "quattro" script across the lower grille. Plain silver wheels and privacy glass are also appropriate to the low-key spec while the choice of an optional Sports Exhaust is one indulgence you can forgive.

Before you get too excited about the fact the passenger seat has been occupied by Meghan herself, consider Harry has also been pictured in the car accompanied by burly royal protection officers, this at least giving him license to explore the upper reaches of the performance when required. Like whisking your celebrity girlfriend directly from the airport runway to your brother's wedding reception. As a former Apache gunship pilot, you'd hope Harry would be a safe pair of hands in high-speed police convoys. This training also makes him among the few to safely operate Audi's fiddly MMI touchpad interface.

According to the listing, the car has a mere 4,464 miles on it.

Scanning gossip sites, it seems Harry has something of a taste for RS Audis, previous rides including a similarly understated RS5. Why the thing for the brand? Well, his mother, Princess Diana, was a famous advocate. And Audi UK has been keen to see members of the royal family in its products, this relationship sufficiently close that the brand's former PR boss received coveted invitations to royal events. All this is much to the consternation of British papers, apparently uneasy about the royal family supporting marketing activity for a German car manufacturer.

All is not totally lost on that score, though, as his redoubtable grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is famous for favoring a Land Rover Defender for cruising her country estates — V8-powered and stick shift for full gearhead credibility of course. And assertively driven with definite royal panache.

Related Video: