Queen is set to miss Royal Ascot for only the second time in 69 years as horseracing fans hope she will attend later in the week
- Her Majesty, 95, is not expected to join the Royal procession this afternoon on opening day of Berkshire meet
- The Queen, whose horse King’s Lynn is running in King’s Stand Stakes today, will instead have to watch on TV
- Racing manager John Warren confirmed this morning she would not be there but hoped to join later this week
- The Queen missed her first Royal Ascot last year after the meet was moved behind closed doors due to Covid
The Queen is set to miss the Royal Ascot for only the second time in 69 years as horse racing fans hope she will attend later in the week.
Her Majesty, 95, is not expected to join the Royal procession this afternoon on the opening day of the meet in Berkshire due to ongoing Covid restrictions.
The monarch, whose horse King’s Lynn is running in the King’s Stand Stakes today, will be watching on television from Windsor Castle.
Her racing manager John Warren confirmed this morning she would not be there but hoped to join later in the week.
The Queen instead spent this morning holding a rare face-to-face audience meeting the Australian prime minister Scott Morrison.
Her Majesty missed her first Royal Ascot last year after the meet was moved behind closed doors due to the coronavirus.
She also skipped the Epsom Derby for only the fourth time in 75 years earlier this month amid fears the meet would not be the same with Covid restrictions in place.
Among those at Ascot today were Mike, 42, and Zara Tindall, 36, who made their first public appearance since the birth of their son Lucas.
They were joined by Prince Edward, his wife Countess Sophie Wessex and Princess Anne at the racecourse earlier in the day.
The event is part of a list of pilot events taking place – allowing 12,000 revellers to attend – before the possible lifting of all measures to curtail the pandemic in July.
Her Majesty (pictured with prince Andrew in 2019) is not expected to join the Royal procession this afternoon on the opening day of the festival
Instead the Queen had to spend the day with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he visited her at Windsor Castle in Berkshire
Mike, 42, and Zara Tindall, 36, led the way for glamorous racegoers as they made their first public appearance since the birth of their son Lucas for the first day of Royal Ascot today
The Queen’s children Prince Edward (left) and Princess Anne (right) were among the royals in attendance at the event earlier today
The monarch, whose horse King’s Lynn is running in the King’s Stand Stakes today, will be watching the racing on television from Windsor Castle. Pictured: Race goers today
Her racing manager John Warren confirmed this morning she would not be there today but hoped to join later in the week. Pictured: People at the races today
Queen holds face-to-face audience with Australian PM Scott Morrison
The Queen has held a rare face-to-face audience, meeting the Australian prime minister at Windsor Castle.
Wearing a vibrant yellow floral dress, the monarch was seen standing with her hands behind her back as she chatted to Scott Morrison in the Berkshire royal residence’s Oak Room on Tuesday.
The Queen, who is also monarch of Australia, was photographed smiling warmly as she met with Mr Morrison.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Queen has held scores of virtual audiences at Windsor, with guests usually speaking to her via video-link from Buckingham Palace.
A flat screen TV could be seen in the background of the room, amid the armchairs, cushions, antique furniture and bright red carpet.
Last week, the Queen travelled to Cornwall to host an open-air reception at the Eden Project for the G7 summit, attended a mini Trooping for her official 95th birthday, and welcomed US President Joe Biden to tea at Windsor Castle.
Just days after the Duke of Edinburgh’s death in April, the Queen held an in-person audience with her former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel, and then had another with his replacement Baron Parker of Minsmere, but was not photographed doing so.
Mr Warren told the Today programme: ‘Obviously the Queen would love to attend, as you know she’s fanatic about racing, watching racing and breeding horses, and has been going to Ascot all of her adult life.
‘So, it’s a shame to miss an event. The plan at the moment is to see how it goes towards the latter part of the week and if the Queen’s able to come because she’s got runners, then, fingers crossed, it will happen.’
There will be no traditional carriage procession if the Queen does makes an appearance. The monarch will also not be able to examine horses in the paddock, as she usually does, because of the Covid restrictions.
Mr Warren said: ‘In the past, she would have gone and looked at horses in the paddock, even though they weren’t hers because she is so fascinated in the breed so she’d want go and look at the stallion prospects of the future.’
He described how the Queen scrutinises the winners of every race daily to see if the stallions offer potential for breeding.
‘Every race that takes place every day of the week, the Queen will certainly read the Racing Post every morning, look at the breeding of all the winners the day before, and see that these stallions that she uses will be potential horses for her own mares,’ he said.
‘It’s a deep fascination, a very broad escapism for all the other things that the Queen has to deal with in her life.’
He described the head of state as ‘fanatic’ about horse racing, and said her energy levels were ‘incredible’ despite being five years away from turning 100.
Mr Warren said: ‘It’s remarkable. The Queen’s energy levels are incredible. She’s 95. She went down to the G7 this week, and trundled back on the train in the middle of the night and the energy will be raised higher again for a week like Ascot.’
The Queen held a rare face-to-face meeting with the Australian prime minister at Windsor Castle this morning instead of heading to Ascot.
Wearing a vibrant yellow floral dress, the monarch was seen standing with her hands behind her back as she chatted to Mr Morrison in the Berkshire royal residence’s Oak Room.
Her Majesty, who is also the monarch of Australia, was photographed smiling warmly as she met with the Australian PM.
The Queen instead held a rare face-to-face meeting with the Australian prime minister at Windsor Castle this morning (pictured)
Wearing a vibrant yellow floral dress, the monarch was seen standing with her hands behind her back as she chatted to Scott Morrison in the Berkshire royal residence’s Oak Room
The Queen, who is also monarch of Australia, was photographed smiling warmly as she met with Mr Morrison this morning (pictured)
Princess Anne cut an elegant figure as she was spotted leaving a black tie event in London on Monday night.
The Princess Royal, 70, was joined by her husband Tim Laurence, 66, for the rare night out at upmarket department store Fortnum&Mason last night.
The royal put on a stylish display in a below-the-knee red floral dress, which she paired with black heels and a pearl necklace.
The outing came hours after Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn finally divorced over a year after announcing their separation.
The Queen has a number of runners at the Berkshire racecourse, with Mr Warren tipping Tactical in the Jersey Stakes on Saturday as a potential winner.
Racegoers are being welcomed back to Royal Ascot for the first time since the pandemic began. Punters dressed in outlandish hats, summer dresses and smart suits will cheer on the jockeys over the next five days.
The Queen’s granddaughter and her rugby ace husband appeared in high spirits as they arrived at the races, marking their first public outing together since they welcomed their new baby in March.
Zara opted for a stunning monochrome polkadot dress, and swept her blonde locks into a low bun for the event. Meanwhile Sophie donned a stunning floor length gown with a matching large floral headpiece.
The monarch, who is the nation’s longest reigning sovereign, has kept busy with her duties as head of state since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in April.
The Royal Family has also experienced a turbulent time with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview and Harry’s criticism of his family on other programmes and podcasts.
Bookmaker William Hill has already opened a book on a favourite bet among racegoers, the colour of the Queen’s hat, with blue the early favourite with odds of 3-1.
The Queen is known for her love of horses, her equestrian knowledge and her breeding of racehorses, and she traditionally attends Ascot each year.
In 1955, the event was postponed because of the national rail strike and held in July instead, but the Queen still attended with her sister Princess Margaret.
In 2017, the Queen had to dash from the State Opening of Parliament to Ascot when her speech in the House of Lords fell on the second day of the meeting.
The Queen has won around £7 million in prize money from horse racing over the past three decades.
Meanwhile Sophie Wessex donned a stunning floor length gown with a matching headpiece for the event
Zara opted for a stunning monochrome polkadot dress for the occasion, which marked her first public outing with her husband since she gave birth to Lucas in March
The Queen’s granddaughter was enthusiastic and could be seen leading her husband by his hand into the event earlier today
Royal Ascot is one of the most glamorous occasions in the British social calendar and racegoers certainly did not disappoint today, with racegoers donning their most stylish outfits for the occasion (pictured left to right)
Strike a pose! Looking as stunning as a rainbow, these women appeared elegant in various pastel shades when attending Ascot in matching frocks and hats
Double trouble: These pairs dazzled when arriving at the races in elaborate ensembles – including eye-catching red and yellow designs (pictured left) and a bright orange frock (pictured right)
Ascot was staged behind closed doors last year but this year was selected to take part in the Government’s Events Research Programme on behalf of the sport of racing.
The Queen, who watched on television from Windsor Castle, praised the ‘valiant’ efforts of those involved in working to make last year’s event a success.
Acknowledging the ‘challenging times’ and the ‘different’ feeling for those who usually enjoy gathering together at the race meeting, the Queen said she was sure it would remain a ‘highlight of the racing calendar’.
In her annual message, which forms the introduction to the race cards, the Queen said last year: ‘I send my best wishes to the thousands of racing professionals and enthusiasts who will join me in celebrating this year’s Royal Ascot.
‘In these challenging times, we are once again delighted to welcome the best horses and jockeys from across the world and pay tribute to those who have helped make this race meeting possible.
‘This year Ascot will feel different for many, as it is so often a chance for friends, families and colleagues to gather together and enjoy a shared passion.
‘I am sure however, that with the valiant efforts of the organisers, owners, trainers and stable staff, it will remain one of Britain’s finest sporting occasions and a highlight of the racing calendar.
‘To everyone attending Royal Ascot, in person or virtually, I hope you have a most enjoyable and unique week of racing.’
At this year’s event, each day 12,000 racegoers will be allowed to watch the sporting spectacle after providing negative Covid-19 tests.
Source: Read Full Article
