Royal Ascot 2: 2008-2018

[Nordic]

It is not the first time that Mary has met the Queen. I believe they did meet in private for The Prince of Wales's 60th birthday dinner/concert hosted by the Queen in 2008.

The Cambridges have only met them for once on public engagement plus it was their first time being at Ascot, so they were arranged to sit with their friends whom they can closely refer to rather than those they do not know very well.

I don't know about the Cambridges, but William would have met them at the same 60th birthday (I assume he attended) and I have seen a photo of a young William with CP Frederik and then CP Willem Alexander at some event in London. Not sure it was London, but anyway. I think they wore a tux.

 

[Dman]

Great to see Sarah out with the family at Royal Ascot, and in the Royal Box.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I don't know about the Cambridges, but William would have met them at the same 60th birthday (I assume he attended) and I have seen a photo of a young William with CP Frederik and then CP Willem Alexander at some event in London. Not sure it was London, but anyway. I think they wore a tux.

That would be the christening of Prince Constantine Alexios in London, William and Frederik are 2 of his eight godparents.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/71/b0/e1/71b0e15a31c83abd4036c16ae48bb1e3.jpg

 

[Nordic]

That would be the christening of Prince Constantine Alexios in London, William and Frederik are 2 of his eight godparents.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/71/b0/e1/71b0e15a31c83abd4036c16ae48bb1e3.jpg

And how does Willem Alexander fit into it?
Not sure if it was this the christening. William had hair and was wearing glasses in the photo I mean. Perhaps a birthday or some other celebration?

 

[Mirabel]

Great to see Sarah out with the family at Royal Ascot, and in the Royal Box.

Her hair looks so straggly.
It would be more flattering if she had it cut into layers.

 

[Lumutqueen]

And how does Willem Alexander fit into it?
Not sure if it was this the christening. William had hair and was wearing glasses in the photo I mean. Perhaps a birthday or some other celebration?

Young Prince William never wore glasses, or not in public.

Google turns up no pictures of Prince William and King Wilhelm together unfortunately. That's the only picture with Frederik I can find other than the more recent visit with Catherine.

 

[Spheno]

Speaking of dress codes, I am surprised that Princess Sarvath is not wearing a hat. I thought the dress code was strict. I am not criticizing, just wondering?

from Ascot's Dress Code & Style Guide:

OVERSEAS VISITORS
Overseas visitors are welcome to wear the formal National Dress of their country or Service Dress.

There is no requirement to wear a hat

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I´m more than surprised to see the RF taking part in this day´s races, obviously with no cares in the world, after yesterday´s tragic event in Bristall!
Who cares about royal ladies wearing gloves or not on a day like this?!

The tragic murder of Jo Cox is absolutely horrific and an attack on democracy, but I'm not surprised that the Queen and the royal family attended the Royal Ascot. There is killing every day, and they couldn't have done anything special, and I'm sure the Queen has sent a letter to Jo Cox's devastated family.

 

[wartenberg7]

Perhaps surprised is the wrong word. But I have very mixed feelings seeing the RF attending the races in perfect spirits while an elected state servent has been killed so brutally the day before.
Jo Cox was not just anyone, but a MP of the country.

The much I enjoyed seeing the RF the days before, especially when the Cambridges and Frederik and Mary attended, the much I regret their appearance today!

 

[TortillaChips]

Perhaps surprised is the wrong word. But I have very mixed feelings seeing the RF attending the races in perfect spirits while an elected state servent has been killed so brutally the day before.
Jo Cox was not just anyone, but a MP of the country.

The much I enjoyed seeing the RF the days before, especially when the Cambridges and Frederik and Mary attended, the much I regret their appearance today!

I get the feeling that the Queen is very much a 'get on with things', not in a nasty way but with the attitude of these idiots in the world are not going to stop life going on

 

[Lumutqueen]

Perhaps surprised is the wrong word. But I have very mixed feelings seeing the RF attending the races in perfect spirits while an elected state servent has been killed so brutally the day before.
Jo Cox was not just anyone, but a MP of the country.

The much I enjoyed seeing the RF the days before, especially when the Cambridges and Frederik and Mary attended, the much I regret their appearance today!

The appropriate marks of respect have been made for Jo Cox. To postpone such a huge event such as Royal Ascot because of this event makes little sense as it harms no one. The world should not stop because one dies.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I get the feeling that the Queen is very much a 'get on with things', not in a nasty way but with the attitude of these idiots in the world are not going to stop life going on

Yes, and knowing who kind and caring HM is, I'm sure (as I've said above) that she sent the family a letter.

 

[duchessrachel]

from Ascot's Dress Code & Style Guide:

OVERSEAS VISITORS
Overseas visitors are welcome to wear the formal National Dress of their country or Service Dress.

There is no requirement to wear a hat

Thanks, that makes sense.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

And another thanks from me Osipi, for sharing that little tidbit from Diarist. I don't remember her posts here, but it sounds like they were rather valuable and insightful, I'll be sure to read up on some of her old ones when I find the time. Her PM to you about Ascot was fascinating to read, and how fortunate that her family is connected with the races. I'd love to go to Ascot sometime!

In theory, this is a link to some

The link isn't working for me, it comes up with a message saying that there were no matches for this search term.

Pictures Crown Princess Mary chatting with Queen Elizabeth II:

Those were nice photos, it appears that Mary and HM get on rather well with each other, which is great to see. Thank you Roskilde for sharing those.

 

[Muhler]

The tragic murder of Jo Cox is absolutely horrific and an attack on democracy, but I'm not surprised that the Queen and the royal family attended the Royal Ascot. There is killing every day, and they couldn't have done anything special, and I'm sure the Queen has sent a letter to Jo Cox's devastated family.

It's only proper that the Ascot continues, because life must go on.
But was there any reference? Like a minute of silence? A common prayer? A mentioning in a speech?

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

It's only proper that the Ascot continues, because life must go on.
But was there any reference? Like a minute of silence? A common prayer? A mentioning in a speech?

I'm not very interested in horse racing or fashion and therefore I haven't read any articles about it, so I don't know.

But the flag above Buckingham Palace flew at half mast today, and according to the Daily Fail and other papers, the Queen (as I guessed above) is said to have written privately to Mrs Cox's husband.

 

[ladongas]

Why did Diarist leave? I just read one of her posts about Royal Ascot from several years ago and it was so informative. Is there a way to search for posts that she wrote?

Go to Search (top right of the page), then click Advanced Search, then Search by User Name (Diarist), and you'll get hundreds of posts, all of them worth reading.

 

[Osipi]

Although, at this time, Diarist is not actively posting in the threads, she very much is among us at least as the "ghostess with the mostess" for the time being. She's, once again, asked me to relay some information to clarify some things.

From Diarist:

‘’Please could I help with a little more information, as I have noted some errors of fact that have crept into people’s posts here.

It’s probably convenient to mention here that the tragic passing of Jo Cox MP was very much on people’s minds. Because of the commercial nature of horseracing in the UK, it was therefore not feasible to think of cancellation. All our prayers are with Jo’s family. I personally know that many of us will be contributing to the charitable memorial fund that no doubt will be set up to try to ensure that her family suffer no financial hardship.FYI, Racegoers are some of the most generous people I know. On a more spiritual side, Royal Ascot has a full chaplaincy service, and Ministers were today [and are always] available for those at the racecourse [racegoers, staff, ‘connections’ – which is the word to describe owners, trainers and anyone associated with a particular horse] who require spiritual assistance – available to those of all beliefs and none.Chaplains are chosen for being first class non-judgemental listeners.This is a side of Royal Ascot that bloggers and journalists do
n’t usually know about, as most have never been anywhere near Royal Ascot.

Anyway, could I please stress that Sarah, Duchess of York was certainly not in the Royal Box, so I am sorry to disappoint Dman in this respect.

I can advise that the links that have been posted showing Sarah, Andrew and B and E greeting the Queen show that the Yorks are in the ‘inside’ of the parade ring, near one of the entrances.This is most certainly NOT the Royal Box, or even the Royal Enclosure.To gain admittance to the ‘inside’ you don’t need a Royal Enclosure badge, just a Parade Ring badge. [that’s the very small round badge you can see Sarah wearing]. I’ve got one for the entire Ascot Week.Sarah’s parade ring badge is valid for one day only – Friday 17 June.You can tell because of its colour.The Weekly parade ring badge is the same colour as the weekly Royal Enclosure badge – which for 2016 is purple and red. I’ve got a parade ring badge because my husband and I are ‘connections’ of several horses running this week.

If you are only attending Royal Ascot in the Royal Enclosure for one day, you get a different coloured badge for the day you are attending. Royal Ascot also offer a ‘three day’ badge for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If you are a ‘Connection’, you would be entitled to the appropriately- coloured parade ring badge as well.


continued....

 

[Osipi]

To clarify, you only need the parade ring badge to enter the INSIDE of the parade ring. Everyone else just stands outside the railings of the parade ring – you still get a very good view of the inside of the Parade Ring.

If you are in the Royal Box, you also get a Royal Box badge. This is a perfect oval shape – if you look at some of the photos of the Royals, you can spot the purple oval badge with ‘Royal Box’ printed on it, and your name written in ink on it.

For the sake of clarity, I should make it clear that members of the Royal Household have their own section of the grandstand – known as the ‘Royal Household Stand’. This is NOT the Royal Box.Royal Household members have the appropriate words ‘Royal Household’ printed on their Royal Enclosure badge.NB. Members of the Royal Household may well be invited into the Royal Box on occasions, but they would need the above-mentioned Royal Box badge as well.

Sarah has NOT got either a ‘Royal Household’ over-printed Royal Enclosure Badge and she certainly has not got a Royal Box badge! She has an ordinary Royal Enclosure Day Badge, exactly the same that she had last year, so there has been no ‘upgrade’ to ‘Royal’ status for her!

For the record, I did not see Sarah in any part of the Royal Enclosure – just the [inside] Parade Ring.

What Sarah DOES have is the triangular [cardboard] badge of the Ascot Authority. Again, if you are interested, go and examine the photos, and you will be able to make out the wording.

The links to photos that claim Sarah is inside the Royal Box are incorrect. Sarah was instead in the Ascot Authority Box.The A.A. is the ‘commercial’ side of Ascot in that it is the Corporation that runs Ascot Racecourse.It’s important to stress that although Royal Ascot comes across as sociable, fun and in a sense almost frivolous, the fact is that British Horseracing is a hugely important industry for the UK, not just rich people ‘having fun’. Ditto the allied bloodstock industry.The Ascot Authority is a very important corporate body. Its corporate members – or more, properly, ‘Trustees’ can be distinguished by the small metal triangular badges that they have.The have their own box: the Ascot Authority Box.

continued.....

 

[Osipi]

One of the functions of The Ascot Authority is to hire out private boxes to any Race-goers who wish to entertain friends and business contacts. These boxes are situated in the Grandstand, but are NOT part of the Royal Enclosure. It’s all part of the ‘commercial side’ of Royal Ascot, which, as I have said above, is far removed from the popular ‘frivolous’ or ‘My Fair Lady’ side of Royal Ascot. Sarah and the Yorks were in just such a box last year.

As a ‘marketing venture’ in order to enhance further the ‘commercial side’ of Royal Ascot [i.e. to make more money!!] since the re-development of Ascot Racecourse in 2005, the Ascot Authority has really started to capitalise on the ‘celebrity side’ of things, which I have to say some of us are not yet totally comfortable with. One of these ‘enhancements’ is the development of trophy presentations.

Before the redevelopment, trophy presentations were VERY low-key affairs in the [old] unsaddling enclosure. Now there is a very prominent ‘awards stage’! Moreover, the Ascot Authority invites celebrity presenters to come along and present the trophies after each race.These include actors, sportsmen and entertainers. If you are a celebrity presenter, the Ascot Authority members [i.e. Trustees] invite you to lunch in the AA box. They also give you a Royal Enclosure badge, but that is not strictly necessary, and a round parade ring badge which IS essential, as the ‘awards stage’ is accessed from the Parade Ring.

Some of the Important trophies are of course presented by members of the Royal Family e.g The Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Kent etc. You won’t see these BRF members with all the celebs in the AA box – they will be in the Royal Box and I daresay that they prefer to keep away from the ‘celebrity’ razamatazz!!

Prince Andrew of course presented the Coronation Stakes trophy today [Friday]. Theoretically he would have been expected to have been in the Royal Box, but he obviously opted for the Ascot Authority box because he could take Sarah as his guest – neatly ‘sidestepping’ the ‘Fergie Problem’, as apparently Prince Philip won’t let Fergie be seen in his presence. So in other words, Sarah was in the Ascot Authority box because Prince Andrew presented the trophy for the Coronation Stakes.

If you go to the photos in the Daily Mail link and find the photo of the goggled-eyed Fergie with her ‘friend in the Royal Box’(sic)it’s actually Fergie in the Ascot Authority Box greeting Barry Humphries [we can only see his back view].BH presented the Commonwealth Cup today….

Don’t blame the Daily Mail and the other papers too much – their journalists are not experts at everything and don’t necessarily have the same experience that some of us have.

Could I say that the photos of Royal Ascot that appear in the Press always seem to be unrepresentative in my humble opinion. The cameras appear to focus on the prominent, the stupid, the freaks. Most people in the RE are correctly and quietly dressed, and often very beautifully. But that’s not ‘news’ is it?

Finally, one more thing which I would like to add. I know what I have said above because I am very privileged, very fortunate, to be moving in this sort of world because of my background. But it doesn’t in any way make me a ‘better’ or ‘superior’ type of person. We now live in the 21st century and to my mind there are only two ‘classes’ of people: the decent and the nasty. And that is what is REALLY important...

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Thanks to Diarist and Osipi from me!

 

[Curryong]

Yes, thanks Osipi and Diarist. It's always great to get insider information and that was most interesting! Poor Fergie, all those strategies to avoid humiliation...

 

[Osipi]

To be honest, I don't see it as strategies to avoid humiliation but taking caution as to not create any awkward moments for anyone as every one there was attending to enjoy the races. It just worked out rather well that Andrew, Sarah and the girls could attend as a family which is the whole point.

 

[duchessrachel]

As a ‘marketing venture’ in order to enhance further the ‘commercial side’ of Royal Ascot [i.e. to make more money!!] since the re-development of Ascot Racecourse in 2005, the Ascot Authority has really started to capitalise on the ‘celebrity side’ of things, which I have to say some of us are not yet totally comfortable with. One of these ‘enhancements’ is the development of trophy presentations.

Before the redevelopment, trophy presentations were VERY low-key affairs in the [old] unsaddling enclosure. Now there is a very prominent ‘awards stage’! Moreover, the Ascot Authority invites celebrity presenters to come along and present the trophies after each race.These include actors, sportsmen and entertainers. If you are a celebrity presenter, the Ascot Authority members [i.e. Trustees] invite you to lunch in the AA box. They also give you a Royal Enclosure badge, but that is not strictly necessary, and a round parade ring badge which IS essential, as the ‘awards stage’ is accessed from the Parade Ring.

Osipi, thank you for sharing Diarists comments. I have gone back and started reading her posts from the past and they are so informative. I have placed in bold from the quote something I don't understand. Diarist said that AA members give these celebrities a Royal Enclosure badge. I thought it was strictly up to the Queen who received Royal Enclosure badges.

 

[Dman]

Looks like Sarah have a Royal Enclosure Badge and is in the Royal Box. She's pictured in the same spot Catherine, Sophie and Mary was in in these pictures. Even in the previous times she attended, she was pictured in the Royal Box with Andrew and her daughters.

Fergie is excited to greet the Queen at Royal Ascot | Daily Mail Online

 

[Osipi]

Don't quote me on this but from what Diarist has stated, I am thinking that the Royal Enclosure encompasses quite a bit more than the Royal Box. Its the Royal Box which HM, The Queen has total dominance over who is in and who is out.

As there has been mentioned of a Royal Household area and the Ascot Authority area and perhaps some of the private boxes under the AA's domain. The Royal Box is the premium royal seating for HM and her guests and family.

I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong. Corrected myself here too as the Ascot Authority area is not within the Royal Enclosure.

 

[Dman]

Perhaps she used the other suite that's connected to The Queen's balcony, but she's in the Royal enclosure-
Duchess of York completes reconciliation with Royal family as she curtseys to the Queen at Ascot - Telegraph

 

[Osipi]

Looks like Sarah have a Royal Enclosure Badge and is in the Royal Box. She's pictured in the same spot Catherine, Sophie and Mary was in in these pictures. Even in the previous times she attended, she was pictured in the Royal Box with Andrew and her daughters.

Fergie is excited to greet the Queen at Royal Ascot | Daily Mail Online

She was photographed in the Parade Ring but was seated in the Ascot Authority box for the races. Trust what Diarist has explained. She was there and saw it firsthand and is very much involved in Royal Ascot week and everything it entails.

If you scroll through the pictures in the link you've posted, you'll notice the difference between the badges worn by Sarah and Charles. Sarah's isn't purple and red (the Queen's racing colors) which gains access to the Royal Box.

The area where Sarah, the girls and even Andrew were seated is the Ascot Authority box. The Royal Enclosure and the Royal Box are two horses of different colors (pun intended for all you racing fans).

Wow! I have really exceeded my goal of learn something new everyday this past week with Ascot.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Is this year the first year that Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark have attended Royal Ascot?

 

[Dman]

She was photographed in the Parade Ring but was seated in the Ascot Authority box for the races. Trust what Diarist has explained. She was there and saw it firsthand and is very much involved in Royal Ascot week and everything it entails.

If you scroll through the pictures in the link you've posted, you'll notice the difference between the badges worn by Sarah and Charles. Sarah's isn't purple and red (the Queen's racing colors) which gains access to the Royal Box.

The area where Sarah, the girls and even Andrew were seated is the Ascot Authority box which is (from what I understand) within the Royal Enclosure. The Royal Enclosure and the Royal Box are two horses of different colors (pun intended for all you racing fans).

Wow! I have really exceeded my goal of learn something new everyday this past week with Ascot.

The important part is that she's in the Royal Enclosure. I'm glad shes back attending Ascot with her family.