The Hat Race Begins! The Bonkers Hats Are Out In Force At Royal Ascot

The Hat Race Begins! The Bonkers Hats Are Out In Force At Royal Ascot

50974324

by Emma Spedding |
Published on
Gallery

The Hat Race Begins! The Bonkers Hats Are Out In Force At Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot1 of 64

Royal Ascot

GALLERY>> Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot 22 of 64

Royal Ascot 2

Royal Ascot 33 of 64

Royal Ascot 3

Royal Ascot 44 of 64

Royal Ascot 4

Martha Ward

Royal Ascot 55 of 64

Royal Ascot 5

Royal Ascot 66 of 64

Royal Ascot 6

The Queen

Royal Ascot 77 of 64

Royal Ascot 7

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie

Royal Ascot 88 of 64

Royal Ascot 8

Princess Beatrice

Royal Ascot 99 of 64

Royal Ascot 9

Royal Ascot 1010 of 64

Royal Ascot 10

Royal Ascot 1111 of 64

Royal Ascot 11

Royal Ascot 1212 of 64

Royal Ascot 12

Martha Ward

Royal Ascot 1313 of 64

Royal Ascot 13

Royal Ascot 1414 of 64

Royal Ascot 14

Royal Ascot 1515 of 64

Royal Ascot 15

Royal Ascot 1616 of 64

Royal Ascot 16

Royal Ascot 1717 of 64

Royal Ascot 17

Royal Ascot 1818 of 64

Royal Ascot 18

Royal Ascot 1919 of 64

Royal Ascot 19

Royal Ascot 2020 of 64

Royal Ascot 20

Ladies Day

Royal Ascot 2121 of 64

Royal Ascot 21

Ladies Day

Royal Ascot 2222 of 64

Royal Ascot 22

Ladies Day

Royal Ascot 2323 of 64

Royal Ascot 23

Ladies Day

Royal Ascot 2424 of 64

Royal Ascot 24

Royal Ascot 2525 of 64

Royal Ascot 25

Royal Ascot 2626 of 64

Royal Ascot 26

Royal Ascot 2727 of 64

Royal Ascot 27

Royal Ascot 2828 of 64

Royal Ascot 28

Royal Ascot 2929 of 64

Royal Ascot 29

Royal Ascot 3030 of 64

Royal Ascot 30

Royal Ascot 3131 of 64

Royal Ascot 31

Royal Ascot 3232 of 64

Royal Ascot 32

Royal Ascot 3333 of 64

Royal Ascot 33

Royal Ascot 3434 of 64

Royal Ascot 34

Royal Ascot 3535 of 64

Royal Ascot 35

The Queen

Royal Ascot 3636 of 64

Royal Ascot 36

The Queen

Royal Ascot 3737 of 64

Royal Ascot 37

Donna Air

Royal Ascot 3838 of 64

Royal Ascot 38

Martha Ward

Royal Ascot 3939 of 64

Royal Ascot 39

Royal Ascot 4040 of 64

Royal Ascot 40

Royal Ascot 4141 of 64

Royal Ascot 41

Royal Ascot 4242 of 64

Royal Ascot 42

Royal Ascot 4343 of 64

Royal Ascot 43

Royal Ascot 4444 of 64

Royal Ascot 44

Royal Ascot 4545 of 64

Royal Ascot 45

Royal Ascot 4646 of 64

Royal Ascot 46

Royal Ascot 4747 of 64

Royal Ascot 47

Royal Ascot 4848 of 64

Royal Ascot 48

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie

Royal Ascot 4949 of 64

Royal Ascot 49

The Duchess of Cornwall

Royal Ascot 5050 of 64

Royal Ascot 50

The Queen

Royal Ascot 5151 of 64

Royal Ascot 51

Martha Ward

Royal Ascot 5252 of 64

Royal Ascot 52

Denis Lewis

Royal Ascot 5353 of 64

Royal Ascot 53

Royal Ascot 5454 of 64

Royal Ascot 54

Prince Harry

Royal Ascot 5555 of 64

Royal Ascot 55

Royal Ascot 5656 of 64

Royal Ascot 56

Clare Balding

Royal Ascot 5757 of 64

Royal Ascot 57

Royal Ascot 5858 of 64

Royal Ascot 58

Royal Ascot 5959 of 64

Royal Ascot 59

Royal Ascot 6060 of 64

Royal Ascot 60

Royal Ascot 6161 of 64

Royal Ascot 61

Royal Ascot 6262 of 64

Royal Ascot 62

Royal Ascot 6363 of 64

Royal Ascot 63

Royal Ascot 6464 of 64

Royal Ascot 64

It's that time of year again: are y'all ready to play a game of spot the hat? Forget the horses, we'll be giving you a live commentary on the hat race throughout the week at Royal Ascot. Yesterday was Ladies Day and as usual there were plenty of characters on a serious mission to get hat-papped. A special mention goes to the lady with a jug of Pimm's on her head. Handy.

The Ascot dress code is notoriously difficult to navigate - back in 2012 the rules were tightened up with fashion police patrolling the racecourse for offendors. We gave you the low down on this year's dress code last month, with a number of elegant examples. Attendees with a Royal Enclosure ticket must wear dresses and skirts falling above the knee or longer, a hat with a 4 inch base and straps wider than one inch.

A sunny start to Ascot [Getty]

We expect there will be a number of copy Kates sipping champers in the Royal Enclosure all week (we're talking about Kate Middleton, obvs). Bouncy blow dries! Elegant fascinators! Coat dresses! Nude L.K. Bennetts! K Middy is the poster Ascot girl. Speaking of the royals, the Queen is Ascot's biggest fan as she first went to Ascot in 1945 and has attended every year since. So far she has been sticking to pretty pastals this year with blue floral hats.

The Queen arrives at Ascot [Getty]

Princess Beatrice, Eugenie and Prince Harry also attended the races on the first day of Ascot. Beatrice wore an elegant sleeved lace green dress with a fluted A line skirt, paired with a wide-brimmed dark green hat with bow detailing. Meanwhile Eugenie opted for a dusty pink coat with a matching fascinator with floral detailing.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie [Getty]

Some race-goers select something with a little more, erm, personality. Once we even spotted a Full English hat complete with beans, bacon, sausages and a fried egg. Last year several brave racegoers cultivated their own gardens on top of their heads. Florence Claridge from Dover wore a fuschia plant instead of a hat and we spotted Isabell Kristensen with a single giant rose on top of her head.

Take a look through the gallery above to see the hats spotted so far at Ascot...

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us