Queen Camilla, Princess Eugenie and Mike and Zara Tindall were among the punters at the Cheltenham Festival today for ‘Style Wednesday’ – traditionally called Ladies Day
Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall had a royal reunion at Cheltenham today – with Queen Camilla leading the royals at the festival.
The royal trio joined thousands of punters for the second day of the horse racing meeting, which was traditionally known as Ladies Day – but is now called Style Wednesday. Amid the chilly weather Zara and younger cousin Eugenie wore co-ordinating burgundy outfits as they posed for the cameras with husbands Mike Tindall and Jack Brooksbank
Eugenie opted for a burgundy coat with a headband style hat in the same colour while Zara teamed her grey pinstripe suit with a burgundy polo neck jumper and a fascinator in a matching colour.
The two cousins looked coordinated in burgundy (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Their aunt Camilla, in a brown ensemble, arrived in sunshine as punters poured through the gates ahead of the first race. The Queen walked past racegoers, who captured the moment on their camera phones, as she was escorted by Sybil Ruscoe, deputy lieutenant for Gloucestershire, to the Princess Royal stand.
The festival is a huge event in the area with bars, hotels and pubs filled in nearby Cheltenham, and alongside a normal trolley service one train, from Paddington to the town’s main station, had another trolley selling just cans of beer.
The Queen is due to present the winning trophies in the feature race the Queen Mother Champion Chase, being held on the second day of the festival dubbed “Style Wednesday” when punters are encouraged to up the fashion stakes. The race is the most prestigious event for two-mile chasers in the jump racing calendar and is expected to attract a huge amount in bets.
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Queen Camilla at Cheltenham today to present the winning trophies in the feature race the Queen Mother Champion Chase (
Image:
Getty Images)
Camilla has a keen interest in the equestrian world, regularly attending major racing meets such as Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival and is associated with a number of equine charities including The British Equestrian Federation and the Ebony Horse Club.
She was recently announced as the royal patron of the British Racing School which trains the next generation in the horse racing industry. The new move to ‘Style Wednesday’ by Cheltenham organisers hopes to loosen the dress code and become gender-neutral, ‘accessible’ and ‘inclusive’ with jackets and ties no longer required and jeans and trainers on the agenda.
Camilla’s appearance at the races comes after a busy start to the week as she joined the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
Yesterday, she hosted a star-studded reception at Buckingham Palace, where she warned of the “daunting task” of achieving global gender equality in future years.
Victoria Beckham and Gavin And Stacey actress Ruth Jones were among those present as Camilla hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the 15th anniversary of the Women Of The World (Wow) Foundation, of which she has been the president since 2015.
