Royal Ascot has begun, and Queen Elizabeth II was once again joined by various members of the British royal family for the first day of the historic race meeting. . . but she also paid host to another European queen.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands joined her husband King Willem-Alexander for the first day of the event, and the pair were hosted in Queen Elizabeth’s own carriage. Over the next few days, we can expect to see many of our favorite royal faces at the event, which lasts until Saturday and features all kinds of traditions, including a royal carriage procession, plenty of champagne, and plenty of incredible hats.
Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge followed in a carriage behind the queen, with other family members (including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie) also in attendance. Later in the week, we can expect to see other famous royals join the queen (who attends every day) for a bit of fun at the races.
Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first Royal Ascot appearance, and while it’s unlikely they will attend this year given the recent birth of baby Archie, Meghan has already proven she’ll pause her maternity leave for important royal events. Ascot is only a stone’s throw away from their home in Windsor, so perhaps we may get a surprise appearance after all?
We’re Pretty Sure Kate Middleton Has More Blue Coats Than Anyone Else on Earth
When a big part of your job involves standing outside in the cold shaking hands with people, it stands to reason you’d have a pretty large collection of coats. Kate Middleton has dozens, if not hundreds of chic styles, whether they’re cozy overcoats or multifunctional coat dresses.
She’s worn everything from caped styles to single-breasted blazers, but when it comes to color, there’s one she goes back to over and over: blue.
Blue is Kate’s power color, and it works particularly well when she teams that signature color with one of her wardrobe staples. The duchess has worn so many stylish blue coats over the years, from her most recent Mulberry design to go-to pieces from Missoni, Alexander McQueen, and Sportmax. Whether she’s in powder blue or dark navy, she makes this shade her own. Keep reading to look back at her most famous blue coats and coat dresses. How many do you remember?
