Beat the Tea Leaves

Queen's hat sparks betting frenzy at Royal Ascot Ladies' Day

The betting at Royal Ascot is usually confined to the course, but it was the Queen's choice of hat which sparked a frenzy on Ladies' Day.

With the dress code for the Royal Enclosure endorsing feathered 'fascinators' this year, rumours abounded that the monarch would break with tradition and opt for the thoroughly modern headdress.


The Queen wore a pastel blue hat by Philip Somerville

Bookmaker William Hill reported an above average backing for the fascinator, while other punters concentrated on the colour, with Paddy Power slashing the odds on red from 20-1 to 1-3 following a rush of bets.

But when the royal party made their way along the straight mile in their horse-drawn carriages, the Queen was wearing a pastel blue hat by Philip Somerville, a perfect colour match for her Stewart Parvin dress and coat.

On a sunny but breezy day, the Queen was forced to hold on firmly to prevent her headwear from blowing away. Ladies' Day is the most fashionable date in the racing calendar and there was no shortage of daring hats on parade.

Dame Helen Mirren, the actress, wore a wide-brimmed black hat and monochrome jacket as she presented silverware to one of the day's winners.

advertisementThe 62-year-old star won an Oscar for her starring role in The Queen and she shared the spotlight with the real-life monarch, who presented the Gold Cup later in the afternoon.

There was a healthy royal turnout on the third day of the Berkshire meet. Autumn Phillips, the newest addition to the Royal Family, attended her first Royal Ascot as part of the traditional horse-drawn procession.

The Canadian-born daughter-in-law of the Princess Royal, wearing a large fuschia hat and grey coat, travelled in a carriage with her husband, Peter Phillips, and Princess Eugenie.

The couple married a week ago at St George's Chapel, Windsor, amid a storm of controversy over their decision to sign a deal with Hello! magazine.

Princess Eugenie and her elder sister, Princess Beatrice, were ahead in the fashion stakes once again. Eugenie wore a dress by Issa under a DSquared jacket, while Beatrice wore Alberta Ferretti.

Both sported hats by Philip Treacy. Away from the Royal Enclosure, the headgear was the traditional mix of the weird, the wonderful and the downright wacky.

One lady wore an elaborate farmyard scene on her head, complete with toy horses, while another hat featured a scale model of a bathroom.

The current Miss England, Georgia Horsley, gave new meaning to the term 'pork pie hat' by wearing a creation made of exactly that.

And one racegoer with a robust sense of smell balanced what appeared to be a giant lump of Stilton on her head.

The day had a family feel, with four-year-old Matthew Gorham, from Gillingham in Kent, one of the youngest racegoers.

Despite his tender age, he was immaculately turned out in top hat and tails.

Celebrities in attendance included television presenters Cilla Black and Bruce Forsyth, who attended with his wife, Wilnelia, a former beauty queen.