The British Royal Family At Royal Ascot 2026

Is it really Royal Ascot without multiple appearances from our favourite royals? (No, we didn’t think so.) And this year, we’ve really been treated, as several members have stepped out each day at the prestigious racing event. Missed your chance to spot some royal fashion? We’ve got you covered: here, we round up our favourite royal family fashion moments from Royal Ascot 2026.

What Is The British Royal Family’s Connection With Ascot?

The relationship between Ascot and the British royal family goes back hundreds of years – making it one of the biggest events of the year in the royal calendar. ‘Queen Anne founded Royal Ascot back in 1711, so there are more than 300 years of royal connections,’ confirms Carly Whitewood, founder of the Kate Middleton Style blog. ‘Ascot Racecourse is just six miles from Windsor Castle, so it’s almost on their doorstep, and the event has been part of their summer diary for generations. It’s also one of the biggest dates in the British social calendar, along with Wimbledon and the Chelsea Flower Show.’

The love for Royal Ascot has been passed down from monarch to monarch, too. ‘The late Queen Elizabeth II was famously devoted to Royal Ascot – she loved horse racing and would attend all five days,’ notes Carly. ‘King Charles has carried that tradition on since her passing.

‘But many other members of the royal family have a genuine passion for horses,’ she adds. ‘The family owns and breeds lots of horses, and there are real horse people among them – Princess Anne is a former Olympic equestrian, as is her daughter Zara Tindall.’

King Charles III on Day One of Royal Ascot 2026

How Do They Dress For The Event?

The British royal family always dresses impeccably well for Ascot – those crowns don’t make them exempt from the event’s strict dress codes – which is important if they want to secure their seats in the Royal Enclosure. ‘The Royal Enclosure requires a morning suit and top hat for men, and a formal day dress with a hat or headpiece for women,’ clarifies Carly. ‘The royals follow those rules just like the rest of us.’

But that doesn’t stop them – or rather, the royal family’s younger members – from setting trends in the enclosure. ‘The royals are high-profile VIP guests who dominate news coverage, so everyone looks to them when they’re researching their own race-day looks,’ says Carly, who cites the Princess of Wales typically sets a trend with every appearance. ‘Sunshine shades were already a big colour story for spring/summer 2026 before Kate Middleton stepped out for Day Two of Royal Ascot this week, so she was riding a wave as much as starting one. That said, I’d expect plenty of people to be hunting down a vibrant yellow dress after seeing her.’

‘Royal Ascot occupies a unique place in fashion because it is one of the few occasions where heritage, craftsmanship and personal style come together on such a visible stage,’ adds designer Rebecca Vallance, who dressed Zara Tindall for this year’s races. ‘Today’s interpretation of elegance feels less prescriptive and more personal. Women – both royal and non-royal – are embracing colour, silhouette and detail in ways that allow them to express their own style while still respecting the occasion, and that evolution is what excites me and keeps Ascot fashion relevant for a modern audience.’

What The British Royal Family Wore To Royal Ascot 2026

King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Day Four of Royal Ascot 2026

King Charles III & Queen Camilla

As the nation’s reigning monarchs, it’s no surprise that King Charles III and Queen Camilla made it their mission to attend every single day of Royal Ascot 2026. Alongside handing out trophies and meeting the team at Ascot, the royals have also made a grand entrance each day in the royal carriage procession, which winds through the middle of the race course before finishing at the entrance to the track.

Despite the climbing heat, the King has stuck to tradition (and dress codes) by wearing a morning suit and top hat on each day. While his ensemble stuck to classic blacks and charcoals, the royal did add a pop of colour each day with his choice of waistcoat – opting for pastel shades of blue and yellow.

Queen Camilla, meanwhile, kept up a uniform of all-white ensembles the first three days of Ascot – wearing white calf-length dresses alongside white wide-brimmed hats – before opting for a blue variation of her signature racing look on Day Four.

The Prince and Princess of Wales on Day Two of Royal Ascot 2026

The Prince & Princess of Wales

There was plenty of excitement on Day Two of Royal Ascot, as the King and Queen were joined in the carriage procession by the Prince and Princess of Wales – the latter of whom marked her return to the event after three years.

The couple, who shared a carriage with the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon, stepped out to a roar of applause from the crowd – who could easily spot the Princess of Wales thanks to her fashion choice for the day: a bright yellow Roksanda gown, teamed up with a matching yellow Jane Taylor hat.

‘The vibrant yellow was a confident, bold choice – literal sunshine!’ notes Carly. ‘It was a real standout after the pastels, neutrals and blues she’s favoured over the last couple of months. William coordinated with a yellow daffodil on his lapel – a nod to his Prince of Wales title – which was a sweet touch.

‘Stylistically, the Princess of Wales goes for very feminine, pretty pieces at Royal Ascot,’ she continues. ‘The hat usually complements the dress in the same colour as the outfit, nothing too outlandish – nothing too “look at me.” It’s polished and considered rather than attention-seeking, and that restraint is a big part of why it works.’

The royal style expert adds that ‘this showstopper was a rewear. Royal Ascot 2026 was actually the dress’s third outing – Kate first wore it during a visit to Jamaica in 2022, then again at Wimbledon just a few months later.’ You can read more about the Princess of Wales’ Royal Ascot fashion here.

Anne, Princess Royal and Harriet Sperling on Day One of Royal Ascot 2026

Anne, Princess Royal

A long-time supporter of Royal Ascot, there aren’t many years where the Princess Royal hasn’t attended the races. This year, Anne put in appearances on the first three days of the event, and generated a buzz with her fashion on each one.

On opening day, the Princess Royal opted for psychedelic-patterned, multicoloured dress, while on Day Two she chose to rewear a pink skirt suit set that she first wore to Royal Ascot all the way back in 2001.

But it was her Day Three look that really stole the show: a peach-coloured coat-dress embroidered with leaves and vines, which she accessorised with a cream hat and three-strand pearl necklace. On all three days, the royal pinned her name tag, Ascot pins and lucky gold horse brooch (that she’s been wearing since the 1980s) to the front of her outfit.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Anne, Princess Royal on Day Three of Royal Ascot 2026

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also made a fair few appearances at Royal Ascot this week – most notably making a formal entrance to the races alongside Princess Anne in the royal carriage procession.

Sitting next to her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Edinburgh wore a navy midi dress by Suzannah London – covered in rows of teeny tiny bows – and a saucer-style fascinator. But the outfit detail most people seem to be fixated on was Sophie’s jewellery choices; around her neck, the royal wore a string of alternating white and black pearls, interspersed with white gold rondels and a matching cross pendant. The necklace, eagle-eyed royalists will have noticed, was the very same one she wore on her wedding day to Prince Edward in 1999.

Queen Camilla, King Charles III and Zara Tindall on Day Three of Royal Ascot

Zara Tindall

Also making multiple appearances at Royal Ascot this week was Zara Tindall, who attended Days One,Three and Four alongside her husband, Mike Tindall, her mother, Princess Anne, and the King and Queen.

For her first two appearances, Zara tapped Australian-born designer Rebecca Vallance – who went on to dress the royal in a pretty lilac wrap dress on Day One, and a beautiful butter yellow number on Day Three. Zara teamed up both looks with FINDLAY sunglasses and Kiki McDonough earrings.

Day Four, meanwhile, saw the royal depart for block colours in favour of a polka dot dress by one of her favourite fashion designers, Claire Mischevani. A bespoke look by the designer, Zara finished the outfit with a Sally Anne Provan hat and Hector Lion earrings.

Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer on Day Four of Royal Ascot 2026

Lady Amelia Spencer & Lady Eliza Spencer

The Spencer twins rarely miss out on celebrating Britain’s sporting summer – and this year, they both stepped out to enjoy Day Four of Royal Ascot. Dressed in matching pale pink ensembles by British label Holland Cooper, the nieces of the late Princess Diana made quite the entrance at the races.

Eliza was spotted in a boatneck dress that cinched neatly at the waist before lightly flaring outwards; she teamed it up with a pair of white Mary Janes, which matched her sunhat and tweed handbag. But the pink theme continued: she wore a pair of rose-shaped earrings, alongside a matching bracelet and pink-banded watch.

Amelia, meanwhile, opted for a breezy gown with midi sleeves and a belted waist, which she wore alongside a pink pillbox hat and pink crystal jewellery. She did, however, follow her sister’s lead by wearing the same white heels and also opting for a white clutch.