After week-long anticipation and as we expected on day one of the ascot weeks, finally, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made their appearance at Royal Ascot.
Prince William and Catherine had a busy week with public and private visits and meetings.
On the first two days, we had Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall leading the Royal party at the annual event.
Yesterday The Earl and Countess of Wessex were the senior-most royals at the fashionable summer favorite of The Queen.
Usually, The Queen leads the Royal family in the first carriage but due to her health and mobility issues, the 96-years old Queen has decided not to attend the races this year.
Joining William and Kate in the first carriage were Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Vestey. Arthur’s father Samuel, 3rd Baron Vestey was a close friend of the Queen’s and sadly died during the pandemic in 2021. Arthur’s brother William is now the 4th Baron Vesty.
Following them was Peter Phillips in the second carriage who was sitting with his new girlfriend Ms. Lindsey Wallace and the Duke and Duchess of Bedford. This is Miss Wallace’s second official appearance with Peter. She was also present at the Buckingham palace concert with Peter where other members of the Royal family were also present.
The third carriage was carrying The viscount and viscountess Brookeborough with Mr. and Mrs. Dennis. The last carriage had Mr. and Mrs. Osgoode and Mrs. and Mrs. Boinville.
Royal Ascot is a permanent fixture on the British Royal Family’s June calendar. The Queen has attended all five days of the horse-racing event since 1953.
Located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, the Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing and is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom.
This is the fourth time when The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an Ascot appearance.
The couple first attended the races in 2016 followed by another appearance in 2017 and then in 2019 where they were joined by the Dutch King and Queen.
In the last two years, the races were not an exception and were badly affected by the pandemic and there were no Royal Processions with Queen making a dazzling appearance in 2021. As the temperatures have soared this year once again, usually known for very strict sartorial guidelines, The royal ascot has announced some relaxations for the racegoers and announced that men can take off their ties during the event for the first time in its history.
For the day, The Duchess of Cambridge was looking gorgeous in a white Polka dot Alessandra Rich dress. Thanks to Middleton Maven for the id.
The sold-out dress was described as,” Alessandra Rich’s Spring ’19 lineup is inspired by ’80s yacht club culture, so naturally, there were plenty of retro patterns and ladylike silhouettes. Cut from floaty silk crepe de chine, this polka-dot dress has a ruffled overlay that drapes elegantly from one shoulder, and a belt to accentuate your waist.”
£750 hat was described as, “One of our favorite designs – hand-made hand-blocked herringbone weave straw hat with a small round crown, vented brim, and trimmed with handmade silk Duchesse origami flowers. There is one large five-petalled origami flower on the back.”
Another new element of the look were Gianvito Rossi brown suede pumps. Thanks to Middleton Maven for the id.
