Windsor Great Park each day in open carriages. They then take up residence in the Royal Enclosure, which requires a special VIP pass to gain entry. “Royal Ascot has always been a popular royal and
social occasion,” says Nick Smith, Ascot Racecourse’s head of international racing. “It hasn’t changed in 200 years, there is still the same sense of occasion and people enjoy the dress code and the royal procession.” It has also become a magnet for international celebrities
and corporate entertaining but Nick says that, despite the photographers and cheerful, champagne-drinking crowds, the racing is vitally important. “Royal Ascot has consist- ently improved the quality of its racing, particularly over the past ten years. It’s the pinnacle of the racing calendar,” he says. “It has the highest profile of any race event in the world and the best horses in the world run here.” As for being only for the highborn or well known, Nick
says this has never really been the case. “Ordinary people have always enjoyed Royal Ascot, it’s just that the focus used to be on the nobility. But it’s an aspirational event and people like to make a real effort to look good,” he explains. “People pay to attend the spectacle but by dressing up they also become part of the show.”
Spectacle is certainly in plentiful supply at the Henley
Royal Regatta, which was established in 1839 and is now one of the world’s foremost rowing competitions. Over five days, international teams vie for trophies on the Thames course, while members of the rowing community and general public cheer them on. According to Paul Mainds, director of the Henley River
and Rowing Museum, the event is steeped in history and, in addition to British nobility, was attended by many famous names over the years, including the likes of the Vanderbilt family, who in 1909 resided in a luxury houseboat for the duration. “The event has managed to retain many of the historic aspects that make it special,” he says, “such as standards of dress and the excellence of the rowing. The regatta is like an Edwardian garden party crossed with a top international sporting event.” So popular is the event that you’ll need to plan in
advance if you fancy staying at one of the hotels with riverside locations. Hotel du Vin, a converted Braksmere Brewery which has a prime spot 50 yards from the Thames, for example, is taking bookings to 2015 and
BRITAIN 43
Top: The Queen and Prince Charles at the Chelsea Flower Show, which brings out all sorts of flower-inspired accessories and
outfits (top left).
Above: Picnic-
goers prepare for a night of opera at Glyndebourne in East Sussex. Left: The Season is the time to sip on some of Prince Charles' Highgrove champagne
PHOTOS: REX FEATURES
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