‘End of an era’ as Queen ditches carriage for car
TO CELEBRATE the return of normal life, the then Princess Elizabeth joined her aunt Mary, Princess Royal, in an open carriage to the first Royal Ascot since World War II in 1946.
And the Queen has travelled in a horse-drawn landau at every Royal Ascot until the pandemic, except for two when she was pregnant.
I can reveal that she will not, however, lead the Royal Procession at the Berkshire racecourse this year. Instead, she plans to be driven the short distance from Windsor Castle by car.
‘It’s the end of an era,’ a courtier tells me. ‘Carriages are no longer possible for Her Majesty. It’s not the ride that’s the problem, but the steep steps that are needed to get into and down from the landau.’
The source adds: ‘The Queen hopes very much to attend Royal Ascot, each day if possible. She will arrive by car, though.’
During her 70-year reign, Royal Ascot has traditionally begun with the Queen and other members of the Royal Family arriving along the race track from Windsor in horsedrawn landaus. They then spend the day watching the races from the Royal Enclosure.
Last year, the Queen attended only the final day of a drastically scaleddown event, arriving by car.
Earlier this month, Prince Charles opened Parliament and delivered the Queen’s Speech for the first time. Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch had ‘reluctantly’ decided to pull out of the State Opening for the first time in 59 years due to ongoing problems with her mobility.