If you marry into the Royal Family then attending Royal Ascot week is one of the must-do events of the year, when core and extended family members kick off proceedings each day with a traditional carriage procession.
This year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the usual crowd of fascinator-wearing socialites won’t be in attendance. Although the races will broadcast on ITV, the Queen will sadly miss out on the event which is said to be the highlight of her year; especially as some of her own horses compete.
The first Royal Ascot took place in 1911, but the Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne 200 years earlier in 1711, when she began a "Her Majesty's Plate" race with seven horses.
The Queen rarely shows emotion in public, but as a lifelong horse-lover she seems happiest and most animated when she's at the races.
In her youth, she and her sister Princess Margaret used to actually race on the iconic track before the official events began. According to ITV, this year will mark the first time in 68 years that the Queen will not be present at Ascot.
While she and her family won’t be there in person, that hasn’t kept the likes of Zara and Mike Tindall from channeling Ascot’s signature style for a virtual celebration.
As the Royal Family have their own dedicated enclosure, it comes with a number of strict dressing rules and the Tindalls executed their lockdown Ascot looks perfectly on Instagram - from Mike’s top hat through to Zara’s elegant cobalt-blue dress.
Over the years Royal Ascot guests have included Princess Margaret, Princess Diana and, most recently, Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle.
300,000 people attend Royal Ascot week, held every year in June. An invitation to the Royal Enclosure is the most coveted and entrants must be properly dressed in a hat and day dress (there's a strict dress code) or risk being turned away.
As it kicks off again this week, scroll through our gallery above to see some of the best Royal Family moments at Ascot over the years.
