Face of Nation : Kate Middleton laughed and joked with another glamorous female royal at British horse race Ascot, the Queen’s favourite event of the year.
But it wasn’t Meghan Markle, who skipped the racing meet along with husband Prince Harry, with whom she had baby Archie six weeks ago.
It was Prince William and Harry’s cousin, Zara Tindall, who was on the receiving end of the Duchess of Cambridge’s smiles and warm embrace.
The cordial greeting between the pair — both wearing cornflower blue hats that matched the Queen’s outfit — contrasted with the apparent tension between Kate and Meghan, both 37.
Zara’s mother Princess Anne also attended the first day of the famous race, along with her brothers Prince Andrew, Prince Charles, Prince Edward.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, were also present, as were Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice — who also matched the Queen in blue.
Zara and her husband Mike did not attend the Trooping the Colour celebrations on the Queen’s birthday earlier this month — Meghan’s first royal engagement since Archie’s birth — because Zara was competing in the Bramham International Horse Trials.
The Queen joined the King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at the head of the annual Royal Ascot carriage procession from Windsor, on what could be the wettest year for the five-day race on record.
William and Kate were her guests in the royal box for the first day of the famous race in Berkshire, 40 kilometres west of London, The Sun reports.
Writing in the opening day’s official race program, the monarch said: “Racing began at Ascot over 300 years ago and while much has changed, the horses remain the stars, thrilling us with their beauty, brilliance and courage.
“The quality and depth of competition at the royal meeting has also continued to prosper, with eight group one races taking place this week.
“The best horses and jockeys from across the globe are increasingly drawn to Royal Ascot, and it is truly exciting to welcome competitors from overseas, as strong international competition adds further interest and fascination.”
Melbourne Cup champion Kerrin McEvoy was one of those jockeys, riding Houtzen in the King’s Stand Stakes. The 25-1 outsider finished towards the rear of the field, behind winner Blue Point.
Australian sprinters have won the King’s Stand four times, most recently a decade ago with Scenic Blast.
Prince William and Kate were to present the winning trophies in the King’s Stand Stakes — a group one race — with actor Sir Derek Jacobi handing out the prizes for the Wolferton Stakes.
Punters typically bet on the colour of the Queen’s hat for Ascot, with bookies from William Hill predicting it would be pink, before a large number of royals turned up in blue.
William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: “The Queen’s hat is one of the public’s favourite fun bets.”
Bookies at Ladbrokes and Coral had cut the odds on the monarch wearing blue to even odds from 3/1 after a rush of wagers.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “We’ve taken a flurry of bets on the Queen wearing blue over the last 24 hours, forcing us to slash odds as a result.”
Coral’s John Hill said: “The colour of the Queen’s hat is always one of the most popular betting markets at Royal Ascot each year, and we have already seen the first big gamble of the week as punters have been rushing in to back blue on day one of the meeting.”
The Queen has attended every day of the meeting for the past 64 years and the last time she missed a moment of the event was for her coronation in 1953. Her Majesty and the rest of the Royal Procession arrive at 2pm sharp before racing each day, half an hour prior to the first race.
The carriages leave Windsor Castle earlier in the afternoon and enter the racecourse through the golden gates before they pass the thousands of well-wishers in front of the grandstand.
The procession is a timeless tradition unique to Royal Ascot, which dates all the way back to 1911.
Racegoers in vibrant hats, fascinators and dresses have descended on Royal Ascot for the first of five days filled with booze and betting.
This year’s event is expected to attract around 300,000 racegoers over the next five days — which is forecast to be the wettest on record as torrential rain is set to fall on the Berkshire Racecourse.
Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne
