The Royal family kicked off ladies’ day at Ascot in spectacular style with a carriage procession on Thursday.
The Queen, resplendent in pink, led royals including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie shortly after 2pm as she arrived for her third day in a row at the equestrian event.
However, disaster struck shortly afterwards when a member of the royal procession fell from his horse. It is not clear if he was harmed.
There is some £7million up for grabs at this year’s races, making it a bumper year, and the royals have been taking part in the betting fun – despite the Countess of Wessex losing out yesterday when she went home empty-handed.
The term Ladies Day was first coined in 1823 when an anonymous poet described the Thursday of the annual meeting as ‘Ladies’ Day … when the women, like angels, look sweetly divine.’
The Royal procession is an annual tradition and marks the start of the day’s festivities, with the first fixture typically getting underway just after 2pm.
Ladies’ Day! The Queen, resplendent in pink, led royals including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie shortly after 2pm as she arrived for her third day in a row at the equestrian event
Rough and tumble: Disaster struck shortly afterwards when a member of the royal procession fell from his horse. It is not clear if he was harmed
Beatrice and Eugenie followed shortly behind. There is some £7million up for grabs at this year’s races, making it a bumper year, and the royals have been taking part in the betting fun – despite the Countess of Wessex losing out yesterday
Racegoers galloped past the winning post in the fashion stakes this morning as Ladies’ Day got underway with a sea of weird and wonderful hats.
Nothing was too outlandish for some of the female guests, who wore everything from jungle scenes to bottles of champagne and even a lobster on their heads.
The famous meet, attended by the Queen every year, attracts the best jockeys and trainers in racing and fans of the sport from all walks of life who enjoy the fashion.
Lindsay Anderson, 57, had onlookers doing a double take with her champagne-themed top hat complete with a horse jumping over the brim and two champagne flutes.
The senior staff nurse, who works at West Suffolk Hospital, said: ‘I found all the little bits and pieces yesterday and put them together last night.
Princess Anne followed shortly afterwards wearing a vibrant aquamarine dress and hat. The Royal procession is an annual tradition and marks the start of the day’s festivities, with the first fixture typically getting underway just after 2pm
‘I’ve got Frankie Dettori jumping out of a bottle of champagne, it’s really a model of Lester Piggott but don’t tell anyone.
‘The string of pearls coming out of the top are bubbles – it’s just a bit of fun.’
Husband and wife Rebecca Johnson, 64, and Brian Mann, 69, from Wokingham, Berkshire, arrived in outfits decorated with rainbows.
While Ms Johnson had a multi-coloured hat and dress, her partner sported a waistcoat of many colours.
She said: ‘We spend a lot of time in Florida and during the spring we had a lot of rainbows from the tropical rain so we thought we’d bring a bit of colour to Ascot.’
Important custom: The Royal procession is an annual tradition and marks the start of the day’s festivities, with the first fixture typically getting underway just after 2pm
Huge crowds turned up to watch the procession. The famous meet, attended by the Queen every year, attracts the best jockeys and trainers in racing and fans of the sport from all walks of life who enjoy the fashion
Inga Kovalerova had made a hat with a lobster crawling out of a pot surrounded by strings of pearls.
She said: ‘The hat was inspired by my move to Scotland. I’m moving from England to Troon, which is by the sea, so my partner suggested I make a lobster-themed hat.’
Charlotte Ricard-Quesada, 30, amazed racegoers with her jungle-themed headpiece.
She said: ‘I came up with the idea of something tropical and wanted a toucan at the centre so I created it with (milliner) Pearls & Swine.
‘It’s very lightweight but I’m having a bit of trouble with this wind.
‘My dress is from Dolce & Gabbana and it’s covered with palm leaves, so it carries on the theme.’