The Datebook Datebook Autumn 18 Calendar of Events | Page 6

T
his year’s five-day royal
meeting was truly
blessed as the weather was
glorious throughout. It will
also be remembered for the
appearance on the opening
day of the recently married
Duke and Duchess of Sussex
in the royal procession. The
Duchess wore a white
Givenchy dress and a black
and white Philip Treacy hat
in a tribute to Audrey
Hepburn in My Fair Lady and
presented the trophy in the
St James’s Palace Stakes.
Royal Ascot is H.M. The
Queen’s favourite week of the
year. She attends each day and
bets are taken on her hat. On
the opening day there were
three victories for the popular
jockey Frankie Dettori. It was
also my personal best with bets
in over 40 years of attending
Royal Ascot as I had one
winner at 33-1, another at 10-
1 and three places which
financed the entire week!
4
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
Royal Ascot 2018
The standard of fashion was,
overall, extremely high as the
dress code, which included a
ban on fascinators, was strictly
enforced. The results were
excellent. There was also a
particularly heavy security
presence to ensure safety and
good behaviour.
The Royal Enclosure has been
gradually expanding and this
year the new Rose Bar and the
Rose Restaurant, with tables
charmingly decorated with a
rose, were linked to its lawns by
skilled landscaping. A spacious
new restaurant, The Balmoral,
was opened nearby too.
There were numerous changes
to the restaurants in the
Grandstand. The Windsor
Forest Restaurant, which has
also recently opened, had fine
floral decorations and superb
views of the course as well as
offering cuisine by the noted
Parisian chef Lenôtre. The
prestigious Parade Ring
It’s a photo finish! Colourful racegoers are photographed on the first day of
Royal Ascot 2018.
Restaurant also had some
wonderful floral displays. There
were also changes to the décor
of the Panoramic Restaurant at
the highest point of the
Grandstand.
You could admire special
fashion displays from all 53
Commonwealth countries. A
selection of fascinating
photographs from previous
royal meetings on the walls of
the Grandstand illustrated the
way fashions at the royal
meeting have changed over the
years.
Each year this showcase for
British fashion brings us
international racing of the
highest standard in a royal event
where beauty, excitement and
spectacle are uniquely mixed.
RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS