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Event Information:
The
centre piece of Ascot’s year, Royal
Ascot is one of Europe's most famous
race meetings, and dates back to
1711 when it was founded by Queen
Anne. Every year Royal Ascot is
attended by HM Elizabeth II and
various members of the British Royal
Family such as The Prince of Wales,
arriving each day in a horse-drawn
carriage with the Royal procession
taking place at the start of each
race day and the raising of the
Queens royal Standard. 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. There are 3 enclosures
attended by guests on Royal Ascot
week.
Ascot
Racecourse is a famous English
racecourse, located in the small
town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for
thoroughbred horse racing. It is one
of the leading racecourses in the
United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the
UK's 32 annual Group 1 races, the
same number as Newmarket. The course
is closely associated with the
British Royal Family, being
approximately six miles from Windsor
Castle, and owned by the Crown
Estate.
The
Royal Enclosure is the most
prestigious of the 3 enclosures with
recent visits from the Queen and
Royal Family members. Access to the
royal enclosure is restricted with
high security on the day. First time
applicants must apply to the Royal
Enclosure office and gain membership
from someone who has attended the
enclosure for at least four years.
For existing badgeholders, an
invitation is sent out by Her
Majesty's Representative to request
badges. The badgeholders name is
written onto the badge and can only
be used by that person; the colours
of the badges vary each day for one
day applicants. Those in the Royal
Enclosure have the options of fine
dining and hospitality and a
selection of bars. The Dress is
strictly enforced, for Ladies only a
day dress with a hat or fascinator
is acceptable with rules applying to
the length of the dress and ladies
must not show bare midriffs or
shoulders. For gentlemen a black or
grey morning dress with top hat.
Over
300,000 people make the annual visit
to Berkshire during Royal Ascot
week, making this Europe’s
best-attended race meeting. This
leads to a split among racing fans,
some of whom are glad to see racing
in the spotlight, and getting more
attention, while others do not like
the meeting despite the quality of
racing. There are 16 Group races on
offer, with at least one Group One
event on each of the five days. The
Ascot Gold Cup is on Ladies' Day on
the Thursday. There is over
£3,000,000 of prize money on offer.
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