Her presence is normally the very essence of Royal Ascot, but Her Majesty the Queen will be absent from the world famous racing event this year as she continues to self-isolate at Windsor Castle.
For the first time in her 68-year reign the Queen has been advised to stay away from from one of her favorite events because of the Covid pandemic. While the horses—including several belonging to the Queen will race Tuesday, it will be to empty stands. There will be no carriage procession, no trophies, and no crowds because of the continued ban on mass gatherings.
Palace aides have said the 94-year-old Queen will continue to adhere to the government guidelines which will prohibit her from carrying out public engagements for the foreseeable future, but she will be watching the races daily on ITV.
Presenter Ed Chamberlin told Vanity Fair, “This year is going to be very different. The Queen will be missed by everyone as it’s her meeting and the arrival of the Royal Procession is one of Britain’s great traditions. She loves her racing though and we hope she’ll be watching! The race schedule looks spectacular and we’ll try and involve people watching at home in the unique thrill and excitement only this meeting can produce.”
Royal Ascot is the first event to go into the Queen’s diary at the start of the year. Aides book the entire week out so that she can attend the races every day. Her arrival, alongside other members of the Royal Family in state landau carriages, is a tradition that dates back to 1825, when King George IV, also a racing enthusiast, took part in what was then known as the Royal Parade
The Queen has ridden in 262 Royal processions since 1953 and arrives at the entrance of Ascot’s Straight Mile at precisely 2 p.m every day for the procession. Her Majesty’s Landau, drawn by Windsor Greys, leads the procession of carriages up the mile, past the Silver Ring, Grandstand, and Royal Enclosure before finishing with a circuit of the Parade Ring, where the Queen and her guests get out the landaus. For the Ascot’s start on Tuesday, the National Anthem was played to an empty Parade Ring.
A keen racing enthusiast and horse lover, the Queen will likely be glued to her TV screen at Windsor Castle on Wednesday at lunchtime, when two of her horses are running. First Receiver, will feature in the 1:50 p.m. Ascot Hampton Court Stakes, while her horse Punctuation will also run in the 4:10 Ascot Queen’s Vase on Friday.
Bets are likely to be high on First Receiver who will be ridden by jockey Frankie Dettori in the Queen’s racing colour— red purple and gold. Dettori secured the Queen a win on the anniversary of her coronation at Kempton on June 2. On Wednesday, the Queen also has Tactical riding in the 4:10 Ascot Windsor Castle Stakes. Usually the Queen visits the Parade Ring to see her horses before they race. She is often seen inspecting the horses, checking her race card, and speaking with the jockeys.
It is also here where the spectacular carriage procession concludes before the Queen and her guests head to the Royal Enclosure. During the Royal Procession the Queen always rides in the first carriage and the occasion is so iconic that one of the highlights of the day is race goers betting on the color of the monarch’s hat.
As a race horse owner, the monarch will have access to a virtual Royal Ascot parade ring so that she can view her horses. It is the first time the Queen has missed the meet. In 1955, the event was postponed because of the national rail strike and held in July instead, but the Queen still attended with her sister Princess Margaret. In 2017, the Queen had to dash from the State Opening of Parliament to Ascot when her speech in the House of Lords fell on the second day of the meeting.
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