Few events on the British social calendar match the pomp and circumstance of Royal Ascot with its elite horse racing and extravagant millinery. (The hats alone are worth the trip.)
Royal Ascot week is here, arriving on the royal calendar each June after Trooping the Colour and Garter Day. This year marks the 201st anniversary of the Royal Procession, the daily ceremonial arrival prior to the races in which the sovereign, members of the royal family, and their guests travel by horse-drawn carriage from Windsor Castle down the Ascot Racecourse track.
The tradition dates to 1825, when King George IV introduced the procession as a formal display of royal pageantry. George IV had a particular attachment to Ascot; he was instrumental in reshaping the racecourse and elevating the meeting into the fashionable social occasion it remains today. The procession has taken place at the start of each racing day ever since, interrupted only by the two World Wars, and has become as much a defining feature of the week as the racing itself.
Royal Ascot’s connection to the Crown predates even the procession. Queen Anne founded the racecourse in 1711 after riding across the open heath and declaring it as an ideal place for “horses to gallop at full stretch.” She staged the first race meeting that same year, and the course has held a royal charter ever since.
Below, see the best photos of the royal family at Royal Ascot 2026.
1) Wednesday, June 17, 2026
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Kate Middleton made a glamorous return to the event this year, joining her husband Prince William in the second carriage of the Royal Procession.
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The Princess of Wales looked like sunshine in a familiar Roksanda dress with a coordinating yellow hat.
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Kate also appeared to have the same three-strand pearl bracelet that once belonged to Princess Diana that she has been wearing frequently lately, including at Peter Phillips’s wedding and Trooping the Colour last weekend.
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Kate and William were joined in the second carriage by the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon.
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Kate’s mother and sister-in-law, Carole Middleton and Alizée Thevenet, also joined the royals for the second day of the races.
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Carole stepped out in a pale pink Catherine Walker coat dress, which she previously wore to the wedding of her daughter Pippa Middleton and James Matthews in 2017. She paired the repeat with some new accessories, including an Emmy London handbag and heels, and Kiki McDonough amethyst and diamond earrings.
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Making her second appearance at Royal Ascot, Alizée accessorized with two French brands, including some earrings from one of Kate’s favorite labels, Sézane.
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Per tradition, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the Royal Procession on day two of Royal Ascot.
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Lady Sarah Chatto, the only daughter of Princess Margaret, made a rare public appearance at the Ascot Racecourse. She and her husband Daniel were in the first carriage of the Royal Procession with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
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Queen Camilla wore a rarely seen bauble these days: Queen Elizabeth’s Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch. The late monarch had received the stone at the heart of it as a wedding present in 1947.
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The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh made their debut at 2026 Ascot on Wednesday. Outfitted in black and white, Sophie stepped out in a midi dress by one of her favorite designers. The couple were also joined by Sophie’s father, Christopher Rhys-Jones (not pictured).
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The Princess of Wales is seen sharing a laugh with the Queen.
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Lady Gabriella Windsor, dressed in a pastel-hued, button-down Claire Mischevani coat dress with a white wide-brimmed hat featuring a floral appliqué, smiles while chatting inside the Royal Enclosure. She was also toting an Aspinal of London handbag.
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Zara Tindall was back at the Racecourse for the second day in a row, wearing a stylish pair of brown-tinted shades.
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Kate has a chat with her mother inside the Royal Box.
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The Princess of Wales also catches up with her sister-in-law, Alizée.
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Princess Anne, dressed all in pink, was seen catching up with her cousin Lady Sarah in the Royal Box while closely watching one of the races.
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The Royal Box often receives a lot of non-royal but still very VIP guests. Here, Prince William is seen speaking with Gareth Southgate, the former manager of England’s men’s national football team. As royal patron of England’s Football Association, the Prince of Wales is widely expected to make the trip across the pond to the World Cup at some point this summer.
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Prince William presents the Prince of Wales Stakes Trophy at the end of day two of the races. Members of the royal family regularly present prestigious trophies to the winning owners, trainers, and jockeys at Royal Ascot.
20) Tuesday, June 16, 2026
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King Charles waves to the crowd, arriving on a sunny first day of Royal Ascot.
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Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert – Getty Images
After appearing in the same hue at her brother’s wedding earlier this month, Zara Tindall continued to wear shades of purple in this Rebecca Vallance dress with puff sleeves, Emmy London heels, and a Juliette Millinery hat. Her husband, former England rugby player Mike Tindall, matched her look in bespoke Gieves & Hawkes with a sprig of purple flowers on his jacket pocket and a pink tie.
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The King and Queen were joined in the first carriage by the Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
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Dressed in Anna Valentine, Queen Camilla was seen wearing the Cullinan V diamond heart-shaped brooch, which she also had on the first day of Royal Ascot last year.
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Harriet made her debut as a member of the royal family in the second carriage, seated beside her mother-in-law, Princess Anne. Read more
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The Princess Royal wore one of her favorite brooches over a jacket with a bold print.
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Seated across from them were Peter Phillips and Ben Elliot, a nephew of Queen Camilla.
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Ben, the founder of a members-only concierge service catering to an ultra-high-net-worth clientele as well as the former co-chairman of the Conservative Party, has taken part in the Royal Procession on the first day for the last several years now.
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Just a few weeks after her wedding and still enjoying the bridal glow, Harriet brought a touch of something blue in this pastel-hued Suzannah London dress with a fitted silhouette and a matching hat.
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Zara shares a laugh with her uncle, King Charles.
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Photo credit: Chris Jackson – Getty Images
The newlyweds share a toast in the Royal Box at the Ascot Racecourse.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla unveil a statue of a horse named “Enable.”
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Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert – Getty Images
The new sisters-in-law have a chat inside the Royal Enclosure.
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Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert – Getty Images
Ben’s mother and Queen Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, was also seen inside the Royal Enclosure, getting some good photos on her phone.
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Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, traveling in the third carriage, wore a hat designed by one of the students participating in King Charles’s King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship program. The Duchess has been a great champion of the program in the past.
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The King and Queen anxiously watch the third race of the day from the Royal Box.
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Photo credit: Mark Cuthbert – Getty Images
Queen Camilla’s children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, also made an appearance in the Royal Box. Royal Ascot is often a more casual affair, so more extended members of the family are often present throughout the week.
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Photo credit: Chris Jackson – Getty Images
King Charles shakes hands with English jockey Ryan Moore, who recently received an MBE on the King’s Birthday Honours list.
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