The Royal Ascot

We live in a village of 3,000-4,000 people called Ascot. The centerpiece of Ascot’s year, the Royal Ascot is the world’s most famous horse race, dating back to 1711. The royal family attends the meeting, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage. (more on that in a later post) It is a major event in the British social calendar and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. The BBC radio and television do full day coverage of the events every day. The Royal Enclosure has a strict dress code. (covered in a later post) Outside the Royal Enclosure the dress code is less severe, but many people choose to wear formal dress anyway. Traditionally to be admitted to the Royal Enclosure for the first time one must either be a guest of a member or be sponsored for membership by a member who has attended at least four times.

Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Ascot during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe’s best attended races. (and causing 5 solid days of traffic snarls) Many of the participants know nothing about racing and are there purely for the social side and to drink large quantities of champagne.