Visiting England this year was on top of my bucket list, and lucky me I got to visit The Royal Ascot Racecourse.
England is a country with a long and colorful history, known for: It’s Royal family, cities, museums, universities, writers, poets, art and it's amazing canal systems, and ancient Roman bathhouses.
When deciding on my trip to visit England, it had never really crossed my mind to go to the Royal ascot racecourse. Actually, to be honest I hadn't even heard of the of the Royal Ascot. At least not until my cousin, who was touring England, invited me to the join her on her Royal Ascot Racecourse adventure.
What is The Royal Ascot Racecourse?
So what exactly is the Royal Ascot? (I am sure this question has been asked more than a few people visiting England). My cousin told me, “It’s a horse racing event where you can see Queen Elizabeth and other celebrities”. Who wouldn’t want to see the Queen of England? Well, I sure did, and I was in!
It is also a week of Royal meetings, Royal fashion, elegance and of course, the fascinating experience of English old tradition of Royal Ascot attire, which includes the wearing of traditional feathers and hats.
Note: I have to be honest here, I had to google it, the Royal Ascot. According to Wiki, the Royal Ascot is one of the leading horse races that used thoroughbred horses and it's located in Ascot, England. And yes the Royal Ascot racecourse is attended by Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal family every year
Visiting The Royal Ascot - Part of the journey is getting there
When I arrived in England the UK immigration in London asked me, “What is your purpose of visiting England? I answered, “To attend the Royal Ascot Racecourse of course”, then smiled.
The immigration woman asked me again, “Oh, so you love horses and horse races?”
I replied,”No not really!” (Now just realizing that they might just deny me from entering the UK territory based on my answers).
Then she asked, “Oh, so you just want to go for Royal Ascot attire it's all about fashion and hats”.
Her probing questions were becoming direct. So I just answered, “Yes, well, I just want to experience wearing those feathers and hats and to look at your Queen”.
The women face burst into a great big smile. Giving back my passport she said, “Well I hope you have a great time and enjoy the Royal Ascot then!”. I thought to myself, maybe not so many from this immigration would have the same answers as mine.
Now I was in and England, The Queen and the Royal Ascot Racecourse adventure awaited.
The Royal Castle - a little stop along the way to the Royal Ascot
There is nothing more exciting than knowing that we would stop at the Windsor Castle on the way to the Royal Ascot. The Windsor Castle visit was not really on my itinerary, but the opportunity was there, so we took it. What an extravagant opportunity it was!
We didn’t get the chance to go inside for the lack of time, but it was great enough to see this grand castle which is rich in history, it’s marvelous architecture, and also the fact that it’s one of the Queen’s residences in England. Visiting Windsor just made sense since we were on our way to meet the Queen anyway. (It was truly the largest castle I had ever seen.)
Wearing the Royal Ascot attire, some people were staring at us especially the tourists of the Windsor Castle. We met some Filipinos too who are based in Australia and took pictures together with us.
What to wear for the Royal Ascot
As a first timer at the Royal Ascot, I couldn’t help but get enchanted by the Royal Ascot Attire. It is compulsory to wear traditional dress codes with hats and feathers at the Royal Ascot. By just wearing our outfits with the feathers, me and my cousin were already having lots of fun!
When we arrived, it was pouring rain and was one the wettest day of the Royal ascot in the history, according to the locals. I wished we were able to take a picture of us under our umbrellas while walking in the rain.
Photo Credit: Standard.co.uk
The people were in all their best Royal Ascot attire. They walked proudly and undeterred in the rain and mud to get to their places and on time. The Royal Ascot racecourse is an important day in England, so dressing one's best is a must, even when the weather is at its worst.
Photo Credit : AndrewBoyers/Telegraph.co.uk
Since we went on the Day 1 of the Royal Ascot, we were lucky to be able to witness the grandiose arrival of the Queen Elizabeth II, and guess what, the rain stopped!
Royal Ascot attire for women and men
The Royal Ascot attire for women should be at least not too short and should have straps on the top. No showing off of bare shoulders. So, dress decently with a touch of elegance. The Royal Ascot attire for men includes a top hat and black or grey morning dress.
Tip: If you buy your Royal Ascot attire in the UK especially the ones from popular designers, there is a high chance that somebody will be wearing the same dress at the Royal Ascot. Just to give you an idea based on what I saw. 😉
The Royal family and other important guests at the Royal Ascot
The Royal Ascot isn’t complete without the presence of the Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal family. On the day one, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Zara Tindall, Duke of Edinburgh, the Lord Vestey and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Photo Credit: Ken Gott
What was really funny about going to Royal Ascot racecourse is that you’ll meet some celebrities or Royal family without knowing that you had met or seen them.
Well, this is true at least for me, since I’m not familiar with all the British Royal family and celebrities, I just got amazed after reading in some papers that there were some special people. One of the group of celebrities that we spotted was the Tootsie Rollers, they’re famous for their vintage style and music.
The Tootsie Rollers
The Amazing Locals
During our conversation with the locals who had been to the Royal Ascot a few times, they said that going to the Royal Ascot racecourse is addicting. The first time they attended themselves was just for the experience, but since then, they had returned to the Royal Ascot every year since.
Well, they’re probably right. I myself just went there for the sake of experience, but if there’s a chance for me to come back sometime soon, I’ll definitely will.
As soon as we left the Royal Ascot racecourse, me and my cousin were already been talking about going back next year, we certainly had a great time despite the heavy rains.
Have you been to the Royal Ascot racecourse before? If you have a chance to attend the Royal Ascot, will you go? Why not? We'd love you hear your answers in the comment below.
Pin Me here!
