King Charles laughs off Ascot horse letdown as glam Ladies Day outfits brighten up meet
CHARLES and Camilla saw the funny side at Ascot yesterday as their fancied horse faded to finish 12th in the £110,000 King George V Stakes.
The King and Queen cheered in vain as 7-1 shot Gilded Water, which they own, started brightly before being left behind.
Meanwhile Ladies Day beauties made the most of the sunshine in glam outfits and occasionally outrageous headgear. Milliner Tracy Rose donned a huge orange number, while another fun-loving racegoer went for a green-themed tifter topped with My Little Pony figures.
Celebrity guests included opera singer Katherine Jenkins, Good Morning Britain’s Charlotte Hawkins and DIY SOS host Nick Knowles.
West Ham owner David Sullivan was with Real Housewives of Cheshire star fiancee Ampika Pickston.
And former Three Lions ace Michael Owen took along Love Island star daughter Gemma. Queen Camilla wore a Dior white silk crepe dress, a matching hat by Philip Treacy and a jade and diamond brooch which belonged to Queen Elizabeth.
The King, in a grey morning suit, doffed his top hat as God Save the King played — with many royal fans among the sell-out 60,000 crowd singing along.
Also in the Royal Box was Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles, son Tom Parker-Bowles and Churchill’s grandson Sir Nicholas Soames, a lifelong friend of Charles.
They were joined by Princess Anne, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and Prince Edward and Sophie. The Royal Procession had also including Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Chatto, plus Zara and Mike Tindall.
The King was then seen inspecting the horses around 2pm alongside Prince Edward. Wife Sophie laughed out loud as Charles cracked a joke.
Camilla peered through binoculars as Gilded Water, their first Royal runner at this year’s meeting, set off. But despite the disappointing result she and Charles were beaming by the time they jointly presented the Gold Cup.
Security was high, with snipers scouring the crowds and sniffer dogs dotted around the Parade Ring. A thrilling Gold Cup finished around 4.30pm and attention started to turn to England’s Euro 2024 clash with Denmark in Germany.
The match was shown on big screens across all four enclosures.
Many punters with tickets for the Windsor Enclosure, where there is no dress code, swapped their suits for England football shirts for kick-off.
And guests in formal areas were encouraged to wear St George’s flag themed ties and waistcoats.