International Royals Gather at Ascot Day 1
Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and has since then been closely followed by the royal family. It is no secret that the Queen is a huge horse fanatic, a passion which she has passed on to many of her offspring. Royal Ascot is held every year for a week in June and always promises a good showing of the Royal Family members, as well as exciting fashion and millinery moments.
Making her Ascot debut was Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The King and Queen were in town for the Garter Service the day before, where the King was invested as Knight of the Garter.
The Queen made her presence known with a dramatic hat from Berry Rutjes. She paired this with a custom dress from her favorite designer Natan. This midi dress featured moderate high-low skirt and pleated neckline.
The Duchess of Cambridge looked stunning in light blue for the occasion.
She delighted the royal watching community by selecting Elie Saab separates for the occasion. It has been the desire for many in the community that the Duchess would wear Elie Saab, a favorite designer of the Swedish and Luxembourg Royal Families, for a long time. She paired this with a Philip Treacy hat, the same style she wore to the Trooping of the Colour in 2016, the only difference being that today’s hat was colored in blue instead of pink. She carried a new Elie Saab clutch which matched her new silver Gianvito Rossi pumps, and wore her Kiki McDonough Blue Topaz Drop Earrings.
The Countess of Wessex opted to match her hat and dress for the first day. Selecting a bespoke dress from Emilia Wickstead and custom hat from Jane Taylor Millinery, the Countess looked ready for spring. She wore a stunning pair of diamond and pearl earrings and a diamond bracelet. On her feet, she wore an older pair of shoes from LK Bennett.
Princess Beatrice was also at the first day of Ascot. We can always count on Princess Beatrice to bring some fun and colorful outfits to Ascot.
Princess Beatrice selected a blue dress from Maje which she paired with a colorful hat from Bundle MacLaren. This blue hat was a real statement piece, made in a matador style it features hand stitched swirls and tassles in raspberry, cobalt and tangerine. She kept her accessories neutral selecting nude pumps from Carvela and carrying her Valentino Glam Bow clutch first seen at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.
Princess Eugenie joined her sister in selecting to wear bright colors for the first day of Ascot.
Princess Eugenie selected a bright blue dress from Calvin Klein which she paired with a yellow beret from Maggie Mowbray. She kept her accessories muted wearing her Valentino Rockstud pumps and M2Malletier Amor Fati bag in nude.
Zara Phillips Tindall was also in attendance, looking to be the life of the party. Photographs and videos show Zara flitting from one family member to another and having jovial time.
Zara selected to wear a maxi dress from Zimmermann which she paired with a custom Juliette Botterill percher. She selected to wear pumps from Valentino and continued the Australian design theme by carrying a clutch from Olga Berg. Her jewels come from Calleija, where she has her own jewelry line.
