Every June, the green turf of Berkshire becomes the setting for a singular spectacle—Royal Ascot. With top-class racing, improbable hats, and royalty in carriages, it's easy to take the whole thing for granted. But what, precisely, makes it royal? And how did a patch of heathland become one of the most enduring rituals in the British social calendar?
Here’s a short tour through the origins, oddities, and ongoing formalities of the monarch’s favourite meet.
👑 A Royal Beginning
Ascot's story begins in 1711, when Queen Anne, out riding near Windsor, is said to have remarked that the flat ground "looked ideal for horses to gallop at full stretch." Within months, the first race—Her Majesty's Plate—was held.
From the outset, the link to the Crown wasn’t ornamental. Ascot was, and remains, owned by the reigning monarch. The racecourse is part of the Crown Estate, and unlike most sporting venues, it doesn’t rely on brand licensing or royal patronage—it answers directly to the Palace.
🐎 From Heath to High Society
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Ascot grew in stature, helped along by the presence of successive monarchs. While the first race was held in 1711, what we recognise as the Royal Meeting today began to take shape in 1768, with the first recognisable four-day Royal Meeting during the reign of King George III.
Racing was the excuse; social theatre was the real draw. The annual meet became part of the London Season, a time when members of the upper crust decamped from townhouses to terraces, ideally within earshot of a bugler.
By the time Beau Brummell had cast judgment on acceptable neckwear, Ascot was as much about visibility as velocity. The establishment had found a place to parade.
🏛 The Royal Enclosure
The most visible expression of monarchy at Ascot is the Royal Enclosure, established in 1822 by King George IV. Originally a temporary space for the King's guests, it has since evolved into a more permanent fixture—along with its famously meticulous dress code.
Entry still requires sponsorship from a current member who has attended for at least four years. There’s no ticket queue or clever workaround. The point, as ever, is not convenience.
🎩 The Royal Procession
Each race day begins with the Royal Procession—a slow and deliberate circuit along the track by carriage, usually featuring the King and Queen, flanked by other senior royals. This tradition began in 1825, under King George IV (again), and has continued almost without exception since.
The reaction from the crowd—hats raised, shoulders back—is not raucous, but ritualistic. A quiet form of pageantry. You know where you are.
🧬 What “Royal” Means, Technically
There is a technical side to all this. Royal Ascot isn’t merely a name—it is a legal and constitutional fact.
The course is Crown-owned. The meeting is overseen by a representative of the monarch (the Ascot Representative). No race may begin without formal royal permission, symbolically granted at the start of each day. And the monarchy doesn’t just attend—it presides.
Other events may host a royal or two. Ascot belongs to them.
🎠 The Timelessness of the Royal Meeting
In an age of constant reinvention, Royal Ascot is notable for not trying terribly hard to change. That, in fact, is part of the appeal.
The hats evolve, the track is re-turfed, and the Windsor Enclosure gets a new gin bar.
Yet somehow, it’s all reassuringly the same.
