
A glittering week at Royal Ascot wrapped up on Saturday with a final spectacular sapphire moment from Queen Camilla, a royal birthday celebration, and another charming appearance from the newest Windsor bride.

For the final carriage presentation of the week, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were joined by the jockey-turned-presenter Brough Scott and his wife, Susan. They were followed in the second carriage by one of the Queen’s companions (and member of the House of Lords), Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, and her husband, Colin, as well as the Earl and Countess de la Warr, who own South Park Stud at their home in East Sussex.
In the third carriage were Neil Wilson, chair of Australia’s Victoria Racing Club, with his wife, Stephanie, and the King’s Master of the Horse, Lord Ashton of Hyde, with his wife, Emma. Rounding out the procession in carriage four were Orlando Fraser, son of the renowned writer Lady Antonia Fraser, and his wife, Clementine Hambro, who is a great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill. (Clemmie was also, famously, one of the bridesmaids at Charles’s wedding to Diana in 1981.) They rode alongside Barby Allbritton, an American friend of Charles and Camilla who previously served as the chair of the Prince of Wales’s US Foundation, and Lady Weatherby, the widow of Sir Johnny Weatherby.

King Charles wore a gray morning suit with a pale blue vest for the final day at the races, while Queen Camilla wore a favorite royal blue dress and hat.

The King’s last tie pin of the week was a particularly appropriate one: a teeny bejeweled jockey riding a racehorse. It’s tough to see, but I think the jockey is even wearing the purple and scarlet royal racing silks.

Queen Camilla wore modern sapphire and diamond earrings with a major heirloom jewel for the last day of this year’s race meeting: Prince Albert’s Brooch.

The brooch is a magnificent diamond and sapphire cluster, given to Queen Victoria by her husband on the night before their wedding in 1840. She loved the jewel so much that she classed it as one of the Heirlooms of the Crown, a collection that passes from monarch to monarch for the use of the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II treasured the brooch for seven decades, wearing it on countless occasions during her record-breaking reign.

Queen Camilla has also worn the brooch often after making her debut in the jewel during the state visit to Germany in March 2023. She previously wore the sapphire for Royal Ascot in June 2024.

The King and Queen were joined at the races on Saturday by the Gloucesters, who were celebrating a very important family milestone: the 80th birthday of the Duchess of Gloucester. Birgitte wore pearls and her diamond and rock crystal circle brooches for her big day.

The Duchess’s daughters, Lady Davina Windsor (in blue) and Lady Rose Gilman (in a green floral dress) were also present at the racecourse on their mother’s birthday.

Also at the races on Saturday were the Windsor newlyweds, Peter and Harriet Phillips, who were married in Gloucestershire two weeks ago. Peter wore a morning suit with a black jacket and pinstriped trousers, while Harriet was appropriately bridal in a lace dress from Beulah London and a special pair of gold shoes.

As she did on her wedding day, Harriet appears to have worn diamond-set jewelry pieces from Pragnell at the races on Saturday. The earrings and the ring on her right hand come from the brand’s Manhattan collection, while the tennis-style bracelet features heart-shaped diamonds. It’s tough to tell if the pieces are in yellow or rose gold; several are offered in both styles.

Peter, meanwhile, repeated an accessory from their wedding day: the Prince of Wales feathers tie pin that he also wore on his wedding day. This closer look from Ascot confirms the piece’s design.

Here’s Peter wearing the same tie pin on his wedding day two weeks ago. Surely this must have been a present from his uncle and godfather, King Charles III, during his years as Prince of Wales?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.