The Royal Ascot carriage procession made its much-anticipated
return on Tuesday, providing one of the most iconic spectacles of
the British summer season as King Charles III and Queen Camilla led
the royal party onto the racecourse.
The daily procession, which has become synonymous with Royal
Ascot since it was introduced by King Edward VII in 1825, arrived
under bright skies as racegoers gathered to welcome members of the
Royal Family and their guests for the opening day of the five-day
meeting.
The return of the procession will come as a welcome sight to
racing fans after concerns were raised earlier this year when an
outbreak of equine influenza cast doubt over whether the
traditional display could go ahead. However, organisers were
ultimately able to proceed with one of Royal Ascot’s most cherished
traditions.
Leading the procession in the first carriage were The King and
The Queen, accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
The Princess Royal travelled in the second carriage alongside
her son, Peter Phillips, and his wife Harriet.
Peter and Harriet, who married only a week ago, were joined by
Queen Camilla’s nephew Sir Ben Elliot, who sat alongside Princess
Anne.
In the third carriage were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester,
who will present a trophy to winners of a race on day one. They
were accompanied by businessman Gus Christie and internationally
acclaimed soprano Danielle de Niese.
The fourth carriage carried businessman Matt Ramsden and his
wife, together with Luke Irwin and his wife. Irwin is widely
recognised as one of Britain’s leading interior and textile
designers.
The carriage procession remains one of the defining moments of
each day at Royal Ascot, with thousands of spectators lining the
route to catch a glimpse of the royal party as they make their way
down the straight before racing begins.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
