RIGHT ROYAL KNEES UP
Royal Ascot 2019 – Kate and Zara Tindall roar with laughter as royals join The Queen at Royal Ascot
KATE and Zara Tindall roared with laughter today as the royals joined the Queen for the first day of the Royal Ascot.
The Duchess of Cambridge and Zara opted to wear pale blue - with the 37-year-old royal dazzling in a £1,275 blue lace creation by Elie Saab.
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The Queen was snapped arriving with Kate and Prince William at her Majesty's favourite event of the year.
The 93-year-old royal waved to crowds of cheering well-wishers as she arrived dressed in an elegant turquoise blue ensemble.
In her carriage was beaming Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wearing a beige floral headpiece, who yesterday attended the Order of the Garter Service at Windsor Castle.
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall arrived along with Princess Anne, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
Also in attendance today from the royal family was Zara, 38, her husband Mike Tindall, 40, and Sophie Wessex, 54.
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Camilla, wearing a pastel pink, shared her carriage with her husband and Prince William, who both wore a suit and top hat.
The royals warmly greeted each other and chatted as the 16 jockey and their horses were paraded around the royal enclosure.
Her Majesty was a social butterfly this afternoon as she went around chatting to family members.
Princess Eugenie, 29, Kate and Zara appeared to have an overdue catch up as they were seen grinning and embracing each other - all wearing various shades of blue.
Mike was seen joking with Prince William, 36, Sophie and even her Majesty at one point.
Prince Charles, 70, chatted with a mounted jockey, as he wore a grey top hat with grey suit, and blue shirt and pink tie.
Prince Edward and Prince Andrew kept a low profile during the family gathering.
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Prince Will and Kate will be presenting the winning trophies in the King's Stand Stakes - a group one race - while acclaimed actor Sir Derek Jacobi will hand out the prizes for the Wolferton Stakes.
Writing in the opening day's official race programme, the Queen said: "Racing began at Ascot over 300 years ago and while much has changed, the horses remain the stars, thrilling us with their beauty, brilliance and courage.
"The quality and depth of competition at the royal meeting has also continued to prosper, with eight group one races taking place this week.
"The best horses and jockeys from across the globe are increasingly drawn to Royal Ascot, and it is truly exciting to welcome competitors from overseas, as strong international competition adds further interest and fascination."
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Punters typically bet on the colour the Queen's hat, as bookies from William Hill falsely backed the colour pink - her Majesty arrived wearing pale blue.
William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: "The Queen's hat is one of the public's favourite fun bets and with the rain expected to hold off, the money says she will be pretty in pink."
Both Ladbrokes and Coral had cut the odds on the monarch wearing blue to even-money from 3/1 following a rush of wagers.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "We've taken a flurry of bets on the Queen wearing blue over the last 24 hours, forcing us to slash odds as a result."
Coral's John Hill said: "The colour of the Queen's hat is always one of the most popular betting markets at Royal Ascot each year, and we have already seen the first big gamble of the week as punters have been rushing in to back blue on day one of the meeting."
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HEIR WE GO: The Queen's horses racing at Royal Ascot 2019
THE QUEEN is a keen racegoer and will attend Royal Ascot every day of the royal meeting (Tuesday - Saturday). She often seems at her happiest while at the races, and will no doubt be keeping an eye on her own horses as they try and romp to victory.
Her horses going for gold this year include:
- Elector, trained by Sir Michael Stoute (running Wednesday)
- Seniority, trained by William Haggas (Wednesday)
- Eightsome Reel, trained by Michael Bell (Thursday)
- Magnetic Charm, trained by William Haggas (Friday)
- Sextant, trained by Sir Michael Stoute (Friday)
The Queen has attended every day of the meeting for the past 64 years and the last time she missed a moment of the event being her own coronation in 1953.
Her Majesty and the rest of the Royal Procession arrived at 2pm sharp before racing each day, half an hour prior to the first race.
The carriages leave Windsor Castle earlier in the afternoon and enter the racecourse through the golden gates before they pass the thousands of well-wishers in front of the grandstand.
The procession is a timeless tradition unique to Royal Ascot which dates all the way back to 1825.
The royal family weren't the only one to stand out today.
I'm A Celeb Star Georgia Toffolo kept it classy in white as Kirsty Gallagher wore a sheer black and white dress.
New Zealander Georgia Fowler arrives to the annual races wearing a pale pink body con dress.
Lady Kitty Spencer wore white lace while holding a black clutch while TV presenter Charlotte Hawkins stands out wearing red to the Royal Ascot.
Racegoers descended on Royal Ascot for the first of five days filled with booze and betting this morning.
Punters in vibrant hats, facsinators and dresses have arrived amid one of the UK's biggest train operators going on strike today.
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Commuters into London Waterloo station were among passengers affected, as well as race goers heading to Royal Ascot. Buses replaced trains on some routes.
This year's event is expected to attract around 300,000 racegoers over the next five days - which is predicted to be the wettest Royal Ascot over the next couple of days.
Leading bookmaker Coral has cut the odds into 6-4 (from 4-1) on this year’s Royal Ascot being the wettest on record as torrential rain is set to fall on the Berkshire Racecourse over the next couple of days.
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