On the final day of this year’s Royal Ascot races, we finally got an appearance from the person who reigns over the racecourse nearly every year: the Queen!
The Queen arrived at the racecourse on Saturday, accompanied by her lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, and her racing manager, John Warren. (Warren is married to Lady Carolyn Herbert, the daughter of the Queen’s close friend and longtime racing manager, the 7th Earl of Carnarvon.)
She got to see two of her horses running in the meet: Reach for the Moon (pictured here, with jockey Frankie Dettori) and King’s Lynn. They came in second and third in their races.
The Queen looked pleased as punch to be back at Ascot, one of her favorite events of the year. She wore a favorite brooch for the day, too: the Palm Leaf Brooch that belonged to the late Queen Mother. The piece was commissioned by the Queen Mum from Cartier in 1938. Since she inherited the brooch in 2002, the piece has become one of the Queen’s most-worn brooches.
The Queen Mother also loved the piece and wore it regularly throughout her long life. Here, she wears it to present a trophy at Royal Ascot in June 2000.
I’ve combed the archives, and I think this might be the first time we’ve seen the Queen wear this brooch at Royal Ascot. It’s worn so frequently that that feels almost impossible! (Have I missed any outings?)
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