All The Royals and Celebrities Who Showed Up In Style To Royal Ascot 2024
Dive into the details of this revered horse race event, and discover the fabulous fashions worn by all of the celebrity attendees.
Every year, royal family members, celebrities, and fans of horse racing and fashion alike flock to Ascot, England to attend Royal Ascot at the Ascot Racecourse. The well-known racecourse holds a number of special horse races over the course of a week in June that the King and Queen of England attend. Over 300,000 guests filter through to enjoy the races, dressing in their finest summer formal outfits and over-the-top hats.
Attendees at this year's races include King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Lady Gabriella Kingston, Theo Walcott, Charlotte Hawkins, Rosie Tapner, Zara Tindall, and more. It's an event tailored to high-profile guests, but most of the races are accessible to the general public with tickets like any other sporting event.
Ascot Racecourse describes Royal Ascot as an esteemed and exclusive event. Their website notes, "There is no event in the social calendar quite as revered as Royal Ascot. After all, it’s reserved for the best; the best in racing, the best in hospitality – and, of course, the best in style. This is racing at its most exquisite."
In a statement in this year's program King Charles and Queen Camilla wrote, "We...hope that those here at the racecourse and watching from home will enjoy five days of the finest racing that this sport has to offer."
Ascot Racecourse is steeped in over 300 years of history that contribute to its prestigious and respected reputation. The racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne after she found the piece of land while riding outside of Windsor Castle and decided that it would be the ideal place for horses to run freely. After Queen Anne founded the racecourse, Ascot has been supported by twelve monarchs following her reign. The summer races in June officially became known as a royal week in 1911. Members of the royal family have had an interest in horse racing for centuries. Queen Elizabeth II was particularly fond of the sport, and King Charles owns a number of thoroughbred horses himself.
For the past 17 years, Longines, esteemed luxury watch label, has sponsored the highly-anticipated annual event, and this year, the brand has touched down in Ascot once again. With a pop-up shop and an appearance from brand ambassador Regé-Jean Page, Longines has added an additional air of elegance and luxury to the revered race.
Each day of Royal Ascot begins with a royal processional where the King, Queen, and other members of the royal family arrive at the event and ride along the track in horse-drawn carriages. They watch the races from the designated, exclusive Royal Enclosure. Throughout the week, races tend to be named after members of the royal family or different palaces.
Besides being an important part of royal history, Royal Ascot holds an important place in pop culture as well. With many celebrities in attendance, it's always drawn a lot of media attention. Plus, it has been an important location in several different films throughout the years including the James Bond movie Skyfall. In the musical My Fair Lady, Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle, who famously attends a race at Ascot dressed to the nines and accidentally embarrasses herself for not understanding the social etiquette at such a prestigious event.
Even if you aren't tuned into the world of horse racing, Royal Ascot is worth paying attention to because of its reputation for upscale formal attire. It's as close as the sporting world gets to a red carpet, high fashion event like the Met Gala, with British designers taking advantage of the event to gain notoriety by showcasing new designs and dressing high-profile clients. Fashion has always been a key part of Royal Ascot. Regardless of fashion trends that come and go each year, you can always expect to find plenty of bold colors, florals, and flamboyant hats at Royal Ascot. Much like the Kentucky Derby in the United States, fashion at the races is often centered on extravagant, glamorous hats. In most of the enclosures at Ascot, chic hats are a firm requirement.
The dress code at Royal Ascot is highly detailed, and it varies depending on which enclosure you are watching a race from. The Royal Enclosure has the strictest dress code, down to rules about when men are allowed to remove their top hats (the website states that "top hats may be removed within a restaurant, a private box, a private club or that facility’s terrace, balcony or garden."). No novelty clothing or accessories with excessive size or branding are permitted, except for in the Windsor Enclosure where there is no dress code. Even in the Windsor Enclosure, most guests choose to dress formally to fit the occasion anyway.
The history of fashion at Royal Ascot is just as deep as the history of the racecourse itself. In the late 1700s, Beau Brummell, a close friend of the Prince Regent, made a statement that men at Ascot should wear black waistcoats and white cravats with pantaloons. Many men in the Royal Enclosure still adhere to this dress code today in the spirit of tradition—and the exhilaration that comes with dressing up.
When Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret were spotted at Royal Ascot in the 1950s wearing Christian Dior's New Look silhouette, the style became widely respected and even more popular. This helped prove Royal Ascot's spot as an important event for fashion innovation.
This year marks the first year that Royal Ascot has a lookbook of different Ascot-appropriate looks, curated by their first-ever creative director, designer Daniel Fletcher. The choice to hire a creative director and feature a lookbook for the week of races proves that, to many, the fashion at Royal Ascot is just as important as the races themselves.
Whether you're placing bets at home or waiting to see what the royal family's outfits will be each day, here is L'OFFICIEL's roundup of the best royal family looks at Royal Ascot so far.
