King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the opening day of Royal Ascot accompanied by their close family members. The Royals led the carriage procession at the racecourse. The King and Queen shared their carriage with the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, while Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, and Annabel’s son, Sir Ben Elliot, and his wife Mary-Clare accompanied Princess Anne in the second carriage.
Annabel Elliot is an interior designer and has a close bond with her sister, Camilla. Annabel was one of Camilla’s Ladies in Attendance at the coronation in May, along with Lady Lansdowne, one of the Queen’s Companions. Both of them matched with the Queen in elegant white dresses. The group also joined the royal family on the balcony to watch the flypast after the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey and the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace.
Camilla’s great-nephew, Arthur, who is Sir Ben Elliot’s son, was chosen as one of the Queen’s pages at the coronation. However, Camilla’s family had to go through heartache just weeks before the coronation as Annabel’s husband, Simon Elliot, passed away at the age of 82 after a long illness. Annabel and Simon shared three children – Ben, Alice, and Katie.
The Queen was also joined by her son, Tom Parker Bowles, in the Royal Box. Tuesday marked the King and Queen’s first Royal Ascot of their reign, and they paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in a joint foreword for the official programme.
Charles and Camilla are both racing fans and wrote, “We are happy in the knowledge that this historic race meeting continues to be a key influence on the global racing and breeding industries.” The Queen’s interest in the royal meeting always played a central role in her calendar. The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes will be a most appropriate way to mark this lifelong interest.
A photographic exhibition in the Grandstand will also celebrate the late Queen’s close association with Royal Ascot, including images of some of her 24 winners. The Royals wished the very best of good fortune to all the owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, and hardworking stable staff with runners this week. It is a huge and rare achievement to have a runner at Royal Ascot, and they hope that everyone enjoys the experience.
Apart from the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, the Royals were also joined by the late Queen’s cousins, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, as well as Mike and Zara Tindall, and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The Queen looked elegant in a cream embroidered coat and dress by Dior, and a Philip Treacy hat. She accessorised with a diamond oyster shell brooch with a pearl, which once belonged to the late Queen and Queen Mother.
The Royals had a wonderful time at Royal Ascot and enjoyed the races with family and friends.
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