The Hat Race Begins! The Bonkers Hats Are Out In Force At Royal Ascot
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GALLERY>> Royal Ascot
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Ladies Day
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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...