THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE LEAD THE WAY AT ROYAL ASCOT
ASCOT WELCOMED THE ROYAL FAMILY AND A HOST OF CELEBRITIES
The Duchess of Cambridge looked delighted to be enjoying a day at the races with her husband the Duke of Cambridge and his family last week. Kate was attending the opening day of Royal Ascot with Her Majesty the Queen and other senior royals.
She laughed and smiled as she travelled in an open-topped carriage to the royal enclosure, alongside Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and a very stylish Prince William.
The outing came just a few days before the Cambridge family celebrated William’s 37th birthday. To mark the occasion on June 21, Kate reportedly prepared a homemade surprise with the help of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. A palace insider revealed: ‘Kate and the children have been compiling a large album of the children’s paintings, drawings and collages and prints. They reflect what they have been doing over the past year.’ Kate reportedly put the sweet present together at her sister Pippa Matthews’ house to keep it under wraps. A new picture of William was also posted on Kensington Palace’s Instagram (below).
Last week it was confirmed that William and his brother Prince Harry are planning to divide up their Royal Foundation charity, a move that will
further separate the siblings as William prepares for his future role as king. Harry and Meghan are expected to set up their own charitable foundation later this year.
Heading the carriage procession at Ascot was the Queen, who was joined by King Willem-alexander of the Netherlands, his Argentine-born wife Queen Maxima and the Duke of York. It was the group’s second outing of the week, after attending Garter Day just a few days previously (see page 10).
William and Kate stopped to chat and share a joke with Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, with Zara giving exuberant hugs to her extended family members.
Also there, along with the Princess Royal, Princess Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice were the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last week. Absent from the family gathering were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were looking after their son Archie, and the Queen’s husband the Duke of Edinburgh, who’s enjoying his retirement.
Kate, who missed Royal Ascot last year because she was on maternity leave with Prince Louis, later presented the winning trophies in the King’s
Stand Stakes alongside her husband.
Royal Ascot is one of the Queen’s favourite occasions in the royal calendar and she has attended every day of the annual five-day event for the past 64 years. Writing in the official race programme, she referred to the long history of racing at Ascot, saying: ‘While much has changed, the horses remain the stars, thrilling us with their beauty, brilliance and courage.’
Later in the week, model Abbey Clancy made her first public appearance since the birth of her fourth child, a baby boy, just two weeks ago. She was accompanied on Ladies Day by her husband Peter Crouch. Also enjoying the races were the late Diana, Princess of Wales’s niece Lady Kitty Spencer, TV presenters Kirsty Gallacher and Charlotte Hawkins, outgoing Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell and one of the show’s alumni Debbie Mcgee, along with actress Helen Flanagan and singer Liam Payne.
Meanwhile Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan had a woman on each arm as he posed with Susanna Reid and Dame Joan Collins.