June 14, 2026
Why Royal Ascot Still Matters to the British Royal Family
Every June, the Royal Family arrives at Ascot Racecourse in horse-drawn carriages while Britain’s political, celebrity and aristocratic worlds gather beneath enormous hats and strict dress codes. But Royal Ascot is far more than a horse race.
In this explainer episode, we examine the origins of Royal Ascot, the royal procession, the importance of horse racing to the monarchy, the meaning of the dress codes, the role of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and why Ascot remains one of the most important social and cultural events in Britain.
We also explore the connections between the late Queen Elizabeth the Second and horse racing, the celebrity culture surrounding Ascot, and how the event reflects both the glamour and contradictions of modern British society.
Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.
WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:11.240
Ah calorogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue Game.
2
00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.080
Your host Mark Ranswis. There are certain events on the
3
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.640
British calendar that make perfect sense to people who grew
4
00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.039
up around them, and absolutely no sense whatsoever to everyone else.
5
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.760
Welcome to the Royal Ascot. For five days every June,
6
00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.600
enormous crowds gather at a racecourse in Berkshire to watch
7
00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.440
horses run in circles while members of the Royal family
8
00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:33.359
arrive in carriages. Television presenters discuss hats with the seriousness
9
00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:37.039
of military analysts, and large quantities of champagne are consumed
10
00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.159
before lunch by people dressed as though they are attending
11
00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:42.960
a garden party hosted by Edward the seventh, and somehow,
12
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.920
against all modern logic, it remains one of the most
13
00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:51.240
important social events in Britain. Part sporting event, part royal ritual,
14
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.280
part networking summit for the British upper classes. Royal Ascot
15
00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.600
occupies a very unusual position in national life because it
16
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.399
manages to combine adition, celebrity, gambling, fashion and monarchy into
17
00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:06.840
a single spectacle without ever appearing entirely certain which of
18
00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.200
those things it wish is to be that uncertainty is
19
00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:14.719
probably part of its charm. The event traces back its
20
00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:18.359
origins to seventeen eleven, when Queen Anne reportedly identified an
21
00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:21.000
open stretch of land near Windsor Castle as ideal for
22
00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:26.040
horse racing. Ascot Racecourse was established soon afterwards, and over
23
00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.599
the following centuries the meeting gradually involved into something much
24
00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:33.799
larger than sport. Horse racing became deeply woven into aristocratic
25
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.079
life in Britain. Landowners bred horses, waged fortunes and built
26
00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:42.959
entirely social calendars around the racing season. The monarchy naturally
27
00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.799
sat at the center of that world. By the Victorian era,
28
00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.959
Ascot had become as much a royal and social occasion
29
00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:52.519
as an athletic competition. To be seen there matted to
30
00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.959
be invited into the right enclosures matted even more, And
31
00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.519
unlike many old British institutions that now survives largely as
32
00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:02.640
tourist tractions, Royal Ascot still functions as a genuine part
33
00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:06.079
of elite British social life. That is one of the
34
00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:10.520
things outsiders sometimes misunderstand about it. Ascot is not historical
35
00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:14.039
re enactment. The people attending and not pretending to participate
36
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.240
in an old tradition. For a surprising number of those involved,
37
00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:21.599
this actually is the tradition families have been attending for generations.
38
00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:26.919
Business relationships are maintained there, political conversations happen quietly over drinks.
39
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:32.719
Social hierarchies are reinforced with astonishing efficiency by seating plans, invitations,
40
00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.680
and enclosure access. The entire thing operates according to a
41
00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:40.520
set of rules that are rarely explained openly because everybody
42
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:44.000
involved is assumed to understand them already. The most famous
43
00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:48.159
of those rules involve clothing. Every year International Courage Royal
44
00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:53.159
Ascot focuses heavily on fashion, particularly increasingly elaborate hats worn
45
00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.000
by attendees in the Royal enclosure, and yet some of
46
00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:58.759
the outfits genuinely appear to have been assembled during a
47
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.599
nervous breakdown inside of florist's shop. But the dress codes
48
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.960
are not really about fashion in the modern sense. They're
49
00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:10.280
about ritual discipline and social signaling. Mourning suits remain compulsory
50
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:13.840
for men in certain areas. Tires must be worn properly,
51
00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.800
Shoes are expected to look polished enough to perform surgery upon.
52
00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:19.599
Women are expected to wear formal day wear with hats
53
00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:23.120
rather than fascinators in some sections, although one suspects only
54
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:26.000
Britain could produce a national debate over the constitutional difference
55
00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:30.280
between a hat and a fascinator. These rules matter because
56
00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:32.800
ascot still presents itself as an occasion rather than merely
57
00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:37.039
an event. Modern public life has become increasingly casual. Ascot
58
00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:41.479
resists that trend almost aggressively. It insists upon effort. It
59
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:45.639
demands that people arrive prepared for ceremony, and ceremony really
60
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.199
sits at the heart of the entire thing. The centerpiece
61
00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:51.680
of each day remains the royal procession, during which members
62
00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:53.919
of the royal family arrived by horse drawn carriage before
63
00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:56.960
the racing begins. The procession was introduced during the reign
64
00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.400
of George the Fourth in the early nineteenth century remained
65
00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:03.159
one of the defining images of royal ascot ever since.
66
00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.319
Crowds line in the route, television cameras track every movement.
67
00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:12.599
Commentators immediately begin speculating about carriage pairings, body language, and
68
00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.639
which members of the family appear to be getting along
69
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.120
particularly well this year. Because in modern royal coverage, no
70
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:22.759
public appearance has ever simply a public appearance, Ascott has
71
00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.120
become one of the major annual opportunities to observe the
72
00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.240
royal family in a setting that feels more social than
73
00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:31.759
constitutional trooping. The colour carries military formality, state occasions carry
74
00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:35.759
political weight. Ascott allows the monarchy to appear relaxed, elegant,
75
00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.959
and rooted in tradition, without the burden of delivering speeches
76
00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:43.759
or performing constitutional duties. That softer atmosphere probably explains why
77
00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:47.680
Queen Elizabeth I love the event so much more palacing
78
00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:53.680
just a moment. The late Queen's affection for horse raising
79
00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.839
was entirely genuine and considerably deeper than many people realized.
80
00:04:57.319 --> 00:04:59.879
She was not merely a ceremonial owner, smiling politely bes
81
00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.079
side winning horses. She understood breeding lines, racing strategy, and
82
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.040
bloodstock with the seriousness of someone who had spent decades
83
00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:11.279
immersed in the sport. People within racing circles frequently remarked
84
00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.839
upon her astonishing memory for horses and pedigrees. Trainers and
85
00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.759
jockeys often spoke about conversations with the Queen in tones
86
00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.800
suggesting mild disbelief that the monarch had followed their horses
87
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.040
so closely. One also suspects racing provided her with a
88
00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:27.600
rare escape from constitutional life. At race meetings, the Queen
89
00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:31.959
can engage enthusiastically with a world governed by competition, expertise,
90
00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:36.600
and tradition rather than politics and diplomacy. Winning clearly delighted
91
00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:39.279
her in a way few public moments ever visibly did.
92
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.720
Some of the warmest photographs of Elizabeth during her later
93
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.399
years came at Ascot, usually moments after one of her
94
00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:49.360
horses had performed unexpectedly well. King Charles has inherited the
95
00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:53.120
Royal racing stable alongside the broader responsibilities of monarchy. Although
96
00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.439
his public passions have always appeared somewhat different from his mother's.
97
00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.959
Charles tends to speak more naturally about architecture and viral
98
00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:03.560
and mentalism, and agricultural and racing form. Even so, he
99
00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.759
understands Ascot's importance perfectly well, because the event remains one
100
00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:11.319
of the monarchy's most effective exercises in soft power. Royal
101
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.720
Ascot projects a particular image of Britain to the world,
102
00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:20.800
historic but glamorous, traditional but socially lively, aristocratic but faintly accessible.
103
00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:24.319
Whether that image entirely reflects modern Britain is another question altogether,
104
00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:28.399
but it remains commercially and culturally powerful. And yet there
105
00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:31.319
is also something slightly amusing about the entire enterprise, even
106
00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:35.000
to many of the people participating in it. Ascot exists
107
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.759
in that very British space where sincerity and self awareness
108
00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:41.879
somehow coexist comfortably. People understand that the hats are excessive,
109
00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:45.720
They understand that the rituals can appear absurd from the outside.
110
00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.680
They simply do not regard absurdity as sufficient reason to
111
00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:54.360
abandon the tradition. In fact, the eccentricity may strengthen the
112
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.800
appeal at a time when so much a modern life
113
00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.399
feels temporary, algorithmic, and interchangeable. Royal Ascot remains stubbornly itself.
114
00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:03.920
The same race, courts the same precession, the same carefully
115
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.360
maintained codes of behavior, the same endless national conversation about
116
00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:12.920
weather forecasts and unsuitable footwear. Even the social contradictions surrounding
117
00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:16.120
Ascot have become part of the tradition, the event still
118
00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.639
reflects Britain's class system quite openly. Although modern celebrity culture
119
00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:24.920
now sits alongside aristocratic society in fascinating ways. Actors, footballers,
120
00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:28.759
influences and television personalities now mingle with hereditary peers and
121
00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.120
landed families who would once have regarded such company with
122
00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:37.319
visible alarm. Ascot has adapted without entirely changing its identity.
123
00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:42.480
That balancing act mirrors the monarchy itself. The Royal family
124
00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.399
survives partly because it has learned to modernize selectively while
125
00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:49.040
preserving enough ritual to remain distinctive. Remove too much tradition
126
00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.160
and the institution loses its mystique. Preserve too much, and
127
00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.519
at risks appearing trapped in another century. Royal Ascot demonstrates
128
00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.199
how carefully that balance is now managed. The event remains
129
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:05.000
lavish without because I mean entirely inaccessible, historic, without becoming static, exclusive,
130
00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.560
without fully shutting out the modern celebrity culture that now
131
00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:11.480
drives so much public attention, and perhaps that explains why
132
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.959
it continues attracting enormous audiences every June. People do not
133
00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:18.040
watch Royal Ascot simply for horse racing. Most viewers could
134
00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:19.680
not tell you which horse won the Gold Cup three
135
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.399
years ago. They watch because Ascot offers a glimpse into
136
00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:26.800
a world that still operates according to ritual, hierarchy, and ceremony.
137
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:30.199
In a moment when very few public institutions continue to
138
00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:34.480
do so with complete confidence. For five days each summer,
139
00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:38.480
Britain Stage is one of its oldest surviving performances of itself.
140
00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.159
The monarchy arrives in carriages, the crowds applaud, the champagne flows,
141
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.600
the bookmakers panic, the hats become increasingly unmanageable by late afternoon,
142
00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.960
and for a little while at least, the country once
143
00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:54.879
again behaves as though this wonderfully strange mixture of royalty
144
00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:58.919
racing and social theater is the most natural thing in
145
00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.159
the world, and they d all this month, we're encouraging
146
00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:06.639
listeners of Palace Intrigue to help spread the word. If
147
00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.000
you enjoy the show, tell a friend about us, or,
148
00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.440
better yet, share an episode with someone who loves following
149
00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.519
the royal family. Be sure to follow Pallas Intrigue on
150
00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:18.279
Spotify and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.
151
00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:20.759
And we'd love to hear your thoughts on today's stories.
152
00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:25.039
You can leave comments for us on Spotify. I'm Mark
153
00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:28.639
Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Pallace Intrigue
154
00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:30.320
and good terms
1
00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:11.240
2
00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:14.080
3
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.640
4
00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.039
5
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.760
6
00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.600
7
00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.440
8
00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:33.359
9
00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:37.039
10
00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.159
11
00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:42.960
12
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.920
13
00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:51.240
14
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.280
15
00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.600
16
00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.399
17
00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:06.840
18
00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.200
19
00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:14.719
20
00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:18.359
21
00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:21.000
22
00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:26.040
23
00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.599
24
00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:33.799
25
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.079
26
00:01:38.200 --> 00:01:42.959
27
00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.799
28
00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.959
29
00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:52.519
30
00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.959
31
00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.519
32
00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:02.640
33
00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:06.079
34
00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:10.520
35
00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:14.039
36
00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.240
37
00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:21.599
38
00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:26.919
39
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:32.719
40
00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.680
41
00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:40.520
42
00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:44.000
43
00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:48.159
44
00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:53.159
45
00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.000
46
00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:58.759
47
00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.599
48
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.960
49
00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:10.280
50
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:13.840
51
00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.800
52
00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:19.599
53
00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:23.120
54
00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:26.000
55
00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:30.280
56
00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:32.800
57
00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:37.039
58
00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:41.479
59
00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:45.639
60
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.199
61
00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:51.680
62
00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:53.919
63
00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:56.960
64
00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.400
65
00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:03.159
66
00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.319
67
00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:12.599
68
00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.639
69
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.120
70
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:22.759
71
00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.120
72
00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.240
73
00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:31.759
74
00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:35.759
75
00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.959
76
00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:43.759
77
00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:47.680
78
00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:53.680
79
00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.839
80
00:04:57.319 --> 00:04:59.879
81
00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.079
82
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.040
83
00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:11.279
84
00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.839
85
00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.759
86
00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.800
87
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.040
88
00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:27.600
89
00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:31.959
90
00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:36.600
91
00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:39.279
92
00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:42.720
93
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.399
94
00:05:45.399 --> 00:05:49.360
95
00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:53.120
96
00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:56.439
97
00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.959
98
00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:03.560
99
00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.759
100
00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:11.319
101
00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.720
102
00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:20.800
103
00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:24.319
104
00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:28.399
105
00:06:28.439 --> 00:06:31.319
106
00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:35.000
107
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.759
108
00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:41.879
109
00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:45.720
110
00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.680
111
00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:54.360
112
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.800
113
00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.399
114
00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:03.920
115
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.360
116
00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:12.920
117
00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:16.120
118
00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.639
119
00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:24.920
120
00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:28.759
121
00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:32.120
122
00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:37.319
123
00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:42.480
124
00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.399
125
00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:49.040
126
00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:52.160
127
00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.519
128
00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.199
129
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:05.000
130
00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.560
131
00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:11.480
132
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.959
133
00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:18.040
134
00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:19.680
135
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.399
136
00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:26.800
137
00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:30.199
138
00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:34.480
139
00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:38.480
140
00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.159
141
00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:47.600
142
00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.960
143
00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:54.879
144
00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:58.919
145
00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:03.159
146
00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:06.639
147
00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.000
148
00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.440
149
00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.519
150
00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:18.279
151
00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:20.759
152
00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:25.039
153
00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:28.639
154
00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:30.320
