AND THEY'RE OFF!
IT WAS fascinators at dawn as the fillies filed in for Royal Ascot’s most prestigious event – Ladies Day.
And with the sun shining ladies put on a colourful display in shades of pink, red and yellow as they arrived at the racecourse this morning.
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Day three of the event is the most famous, and with all female spectators required to wear a hat, it was a case of battle of the headgear.
And it seems that it was the bigger the better today with women arriving with sky-high millinery creations, decorated with everything from feathers to pom poms.
There have already been several famous faces spotted at the racetrack including Abbey Clancy, who was joined by husband Peter Crouch.
The new mum looked incredible in an all-white ensemble, having given birth to her fourth baby just a few weeks earlier.
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Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer looked typically elegant in a floral ensemble, opting for a peach hat.
And the latest royal newlywed Lady Gabriella Windsor was all smiles as she arrived alongside new hubby James Kingston.
Traditionally on Ladies Day, women were granted free entry or discounted tickets for events that would ordinarily be for men only.
Steeped in years of tradition, Royal Ascot could see a shake up at Ladies Day today as 2019 is the first year that guests are welcome to dress as they identify.
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Women are permitted to wear gentlemen’s clothes and vice versa as long as they don’t break any of the other strict style rules.
The key things to bear in mind when avoiding a style snafu in the prestigious Royal Enclosure include skirt and dress hemlines just above the knee or longer, straps of one inch or wider, and a hat or headpiece with a base of four inches. Fascinators are a big no-no. As of 2017 jumpsuits are AOK, as are trouser suits.
WHAT NOT TO WEAR ON LADIES DAY
Women
- No bare midriffs in Royal, Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No shorts in Royal, Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No strapless or sheer dresses or tops in Royal, Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No fascinators in Royal Enclosure
- No fancy dress
Men
- No novelty waistcoats or ties unless of a patriotic nature (for example your national flag) in the Royal Enclosure
- No customised top hats (coloured ribbons for example) in the Royal Enclosure
- No shorts in Royal, Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No jeans or trainers in the Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No bare ankles in Royal, Queen Anne and Village Enclosures
- No fancy dress
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In the Queen Anne Enclosure, women's attire must still “be befitting a formal occasion”, including a hat, headpiece or fascinator, trouser suit and jumpsuit hemlines below the knee, no shorts and covered midriffs. No strapless or sheer numbers - including off the shoulder, Bardot and one shoulder.
When it comes to menswear, jeans and trainers are an absolute no-no.
Commenting on the most recent Ascot fashion changes, RacingPost.com's resident fashion expert Katherine Fidler said: "Depending on your view, the Royal Ascot dress code is either a charming, quintessentially British tradition serving an annual reminder of our roots or an outdated, archaic nightmare, a five-day cavalcade of the country's inequality in fashion show form.
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"If you want to join the thousands of racegoers enjoying the action live, then the dress code is non-negotiable. Even beginning to tread this sartorial tightrope is daunting enough!
"Most importantly though, remember - it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it. Don't be intimidated by the four-figure price tags on show in Ascot's official guide, high-street style holds up just as well.
“Of course, those more up with the zeitgeist than Oliver Brown or Victoria Beckham might wish to go vintage, saving a few pennies and the planet simultaneously."
THE DRESS CODE FOR EACH ENCLOSURE
Royal Enclosure
- Hats are obligatory. Although women are banned from wearing fascinators, a headpiece with a solid base of at least 10cm is permitted. Skirts and dresses worn by women should be of a ‘modest length’, which Ascot defines as falling just above the knee or longer. Trouser suits are allowed as long as they are full length and of matching material and colour, while jumpsuits can be worn if matching the rules for dresses. Straps on dresses and tops should be at least one inch in width.
- Men must wear black or grey morning-dress which includes a waistcoat and tie (no cravats or bow-ties), a black or grey top hat and black shoes worn with socks.
Queen Anne Enclosure
- Women must wear a hat, headpiece or fascinator. Dresses must have straps, trouser suits must be full length and jumpsuits below the knee.
- Men are required to wear a suit with a collared shirt and tie - but no bow-ties or cravats.
Village Enclosure
- Same dress code for men and women as the Queen Anne Enclosure, although men are permitted to wear a bow-tie or cravat as an alternative to a tie
Windsor Enclosure
- While replica sports shirts are banned, there is no official dress code for the Windsor Enclosure. However, racegoers are encouraged to wear ‘smart daywear’
Her Majesty once again chose to wear blue for the occasion, making it the third consecutive day, for the first time in history.
She appeared in good spirits as she waved from her carriage upon her arrival at Ascot today.
Accompanying her was daughter Princess Ann, granddaughter Eugenie, and her grandson in-law Autumn Phillips.
Equestrian Zara Tindall could be seen travelling alongside Autumn in the carriage, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex was also present today.
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Julia Suzuki wows in £1.5m jewels
Julia Suzuki the British designer and former love interest of Nick Knowles was spotted at the Royal Enclosure at Ascot on Ladies Day wearing a ruby and diamond bejeweled set consisting of a rare blood red ruby ring (£1 Million) with matching neckless and earrings (£500,00), paired with a matching Julia Suzuki Couture red dress princess cut dress.
Julia Suzuki is collaborating with luxury jewellery company Asteria of London for her debut Couture capsule collection. The jeweller is known for its highest quality vibrantly colourful diamonds and precious stone Collections which inspired Julia’s first capsule fashion Collection, now available to the public. Ruby is distinguished for its bright red colour, and is the most famed and fabled gemstone desired its allure, luster, rarity and royal significance.
Transparent rubies of large sizes as worn by Julia are in fact much rarer than Diamonds and favoured gem among those in power who seek success. They are seen as indicating that the wearer will have great luck, joy and fortune. Known in China for bringing good luck it seemed Julia chose to be the lady in red in hopes of it bringing her winnings at Ascot.
Seemingly all the female royals had also opted to wear shades of blue today, about from Autumn who arrived in a pink floral number.
Royal Ascot and Ascot racecourse have been closely associated with the royal family from the very beginning, the track having been founded by Queen Anne in 1711 after she came across the site while out riding. The first race, Her Majesty’s Plate, took place on August 11.
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Close to Windsor Castle, the track is very much a local course for the royal family and Royal Ascot has received patronage from many monarchs since Queen Anne, including the current Queen Elizabeth II, who has attended every Royal Ascot during her 67-year reign.
The Queen does not just enjoy Royal Ascot as a spectator - she has had 23 winners at the big meeting as an owner. The first to carry her famous purple and red colours to victory was Choir Boy in the 1953 Royal Hunt Cup, just one year after the Queen ascended to the throne, and the most recent was Dartmouth, who won the Hardwicke Stakes in 2016.
LATEST ODDS ON THE QUEEN'S HAT COLOUR
Pink 2/1
Green 3/1
Yellow 11/2
Purple 6/1
Red 8/1
Orange 10/1
Cream/White 10/1
Silver 12/1
Gold 14/1
Blue 16/1
Brown 20/1
Black 50/1
Union Jack 500/1
However, the Queen’s greatest moment at Royal Ascot was provided by the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Estimate.
She is the only horse owned by the Queen to have won twice at Royal Ascot, having landed the 2012 Queen’s Vase and the following year’s Gold Cup. But, far more importantly, her Gold Cup victory was a first for a reigning monarch in the 212-year history of the oldest race at Royal Ascot.
The most celebrated association between Royal Ascot and the royal family is the royal procession, a cavalcade of horse-drawn carriages in which the royal party enter the racecourse each day before racing.
The tradition was established by King George IV in 1825 and originally the carriages carried the royal party all the way from Windsor Castle on to the racecourse.
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But today the Queen, her guests and other members of the royal family are first taken by car from the castle to Windsor Great Park.
There they are transferred to the awaiting carriages in order to continue their journey to the racecourse, which they enter via a gate at the start of the straight mile before proceeding down the track in front of racegoers at 2pm each day to the parade ring.
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The majority of the race titles at Royal Ascot reflect the royal family’s enduring relationship with the meeting.
The opening race of Royal Ascot, the Queen Anne Stakes, commemorates the founder of Ascot racecourse, while the Queen’s Vase was established in 1838 to mark Queen Victoria’s first visit to Royal Ascot as monarch.
A TIP FOR TODAY'S RACES
- 2.30 Norfolk Stakes – Real Appeal 16/1
- 3.05 Hampton Court Stakes – Headman 9/1
- 3.40 Ribblesdale Stakes – Queen Power 3/1
- 4.20 Gold Cup – Dee Ex Bee 6/1
- 5.00 Britannia Stakes – King Ademar 11/1
- 5.35 King George V Stakes – Constantinople 9/2
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
The Prince of Wales’s Stakes was initiated in 1862 to mark the death the previous year of Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, after which she stopped attending Royal Ascot having withdrawn from public life.
The most recent race to be named after a member of the royal family is the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, which had previously been the Windsor Forest Stakes but was renamed in honour of Prince William in 2013.
Elsewhere, Sun Racing ambassador Megan Nicholls is back as she talks through the races on Day 3.
And we reveal why Zara Tindall is Prince Charles' leading royal lady.
The Queen, Prince of Wales and Camilla wear pastel shades as they arrive at Royal Ascot for day two of the horse racing festivities