Left: World-class polo at Cartier International Day. Right: Debutantes at the Queen Charlotte Ball in London. Below: Top hat and tails are the expected dress code for gentleman at certain events during The Season. Below right: Socialise in the enclosures at Henley Royal Regatta
Season of goodwill
The British summer is all about dressing up, champagne parties and, if you're lucky,
mixing with royalty. BRITAIN looks forward to the start of The Season and back at its history
WORDS LAURA LATHAM
imes may change but some things remain consistent throughout history and that includes the British Social Season. Known by everyone simply as ‘The Season’, this series of glamorous events is, for many
people, what British summer is all about. Royal Ascot, Henley Regatta, Cowes Week and Wimbledon:
all social and sporting occasions that are the mainstays of The Season, have been actively endorsed by British nobility for centuries. Happily, in these less socially restricted times, the rest of us can also enjoy ourselves at these events and others that start after Easter and lasting all summer. And few experiences could be better on a sunny day
than watching rowers compete on the Thames while you recline with a jug of that most British of drinks: Pimms
and lemonade. Or strolling among the award-winning gardens at London’s Chelsea Flower Show while planning your evening dress for the Glyndebourne opera festival. Traditionally, The Season lasted from April to July and
was established as a series of social engagements arranged around the months the Royal Family took up residence in London. However, it wasn’t until 1780, when King George III inaugurated a May ball for his wife, Queen Charlotte, that The Season as everyone knows it became official. Queen Charlotte’s Ball heralded the start of summer,
and was the event at which girls of high birth and marriageable age (generally around 17 years old) would first appear on the social circuit. Known as débutants, because they were making their debut in society, the girls dressed in white gowns and gloves and had first to be
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