Pippa's Paris freebie: VIP treatment at the tennis tournament for Kate's sister

Sitting in front of the stage at the French Open on Monday, she seemed to have a ball. And no wonder.

Pippa Middleton to take advantage of what those in the business like to call a "freebie" with permission of leading car company Peugeot, which is sponsoring the tennis tournament in Paris.

Indeed, so excited was the company's coup that the news of the arrival of younger sister of Middleton in the VIP enclosure at Roland Garros has been plastered on the official program of the competition yesterday with the headline: " Pippa Roland! Sensation!

His host Xavier Peugeot, which is the great, great grand-son of one of the founders of the company, Armand, assured the moment was captured for posterity.

Mr. Peugeot, who is director of the family business of marketing and communications, even presented the new Duke of Cambridge, sister-in-law with a richly bound book tracing the history of 200 years of the brand.

A coquettish Pippa - which normally carries a BMW Z4 - looked happy to receive it.

The six-day trip has seen the little sister (and some would say insanely ambitious) Kate arriving on the Eurostar to Paris on Thursday for visits of several days, with everything done in the best possible taste.

It will, however, raise questions about whether it is wise for her to be seen cashing "on the news of his sister's fame.