Gabriella can count on a big hug from her great-niece.
The first day of the Royal Ascot is a fact! Today the royals, the ton and all kinds of society partygoers enjoyed the absolute pinnacle of horse racing on the sun-drenched Ascot racecourse. Traditionally, several royals are always present, including today the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lady Gabriella Kingston. A bittersweet moment, after she lost her husband earlier this year.
Royal Procession
It is a regular occurrence every year: before the races can start on the legendary racecourse, the Royal Procession first takes place. Normally four carriages arrive carrying various members of the Windsor family, plus any prominent figures invited by the Crown.
Of course, King Charles and Queen Camilla were present today, who had the most prominent spot in the front carriage. They shared their car with the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. Pleasant!
They were followed by a second carriage, containing Princess Anne, Lady Gabriella Kingston, Peter Phillips, and John Warren, the manager of the race horses of both Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth.
It was the first time for Gabriella to be part of the Royal Procession. A nice gesture from King Charles, who encouraged his great-niece with this. It was the first time that Gabriella showed herself in the royal spotlight since her husband, Thomas Kingston, passed away earlier this year.
Attentive viewers also saw the daughter of Prince Michael and Princess Marie-Christine next to the royals last weekend during Trooping the Colour, but here she deliberately stayed out of the picture as much as possible. Viewers were happy to see the young widow appear in public again with a cautious smile!
The last two carriages also contain a number of notable names: for example, the Earl and Countess of Halifax are in carriage number three with Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, and nephew, Ben Elliot. In the fourth carriage are Johnny Weatherby and Lady Weatherby with Ralph Beckett and his wife. Both Johnny and Ralph have strong ties to the Windsors through equestrian sports. And that can also get you an invitation to the Royal Procession!
Hug
By the way, not all royals sit in these carriages. For example, Anne’s son, Peter, was allowed to enjoy the Carriage Procession, but there was no room for his sister, Zara Tindall.
She was spotted among the celebrities with husband Mike Tindall in a cheerful, light yellow ensemble. Zara was also clearly happy to see Gabriella again, as evidenced by the tight hug between the two ladies.
Aww! It is clear that Gabriella can count on full support from her family today. Good thing, too!
Royal Ascot
The event lasts five days in total. Of course we expect that various royals will show their noses in the mecca of equestrian sports, but who exactly will they be? This is usually only announced just before the supreme moment.
In any case, we hope for more atmospheric summer snaps in full Ascot regalia!
Source: The Daily Mail, Gert’s Royals, Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
