Royal Ascot kicked off on Tuesday with King Charles and Queen Camilla riding in the 200-year-old carriage procession from Windsor Castle to the Berkshire racecourse.
Held at one of Britain’s best-known racecourses, Royal Ascot is a five-day event that welcomes around 300,000 visitors, including members of the royal family, all wearing their finest suits, dresses, and hats.
Princess Anne and Harriet Phillips arrive in a horse-drawn carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot
Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty Images
King Charles and Queen Camilla, who are both racing enthusiasts, are expected to attend each day of the races. On Tuesday, they were joined in the procession by Charles’s recently married nephew, Peter Phillips, and his wife, Harriet Sperling. In what was deemed an honor for the newlyweds, the couple arrived in the second carriage alongside Princess Anne, with Charles and Camilla leading the procession on the first day of the races.
The carriage procession, which generally includes senior royals, foreign VIPs, and some of the country’s most influential aristocrats, is the highlight of opening day, with much importance placed on who will be riding with the king and queen.
Charles and Camilla were also joined by the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. The duke traditionally accompanies the monarch in the lead carriage of the Royal Procession, a custom that dates back to 1825, when the first Duke of Wellington rode alongside King George IV.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who attended Monday’s Order of the Garter service, are expected to join Charles and Camilla this week, along with Princess Anne; her daughter, Zara Tindall (who attended Tuesday); and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie.