Queen all smiles as she makes first Royal Ascot entrance since Prince Philip’s death

The Queen was all smiles as she arrived at Royal Ascot today for the first time since 2019.

Usually a regular at the famous Berkshire meet the Queen has been a no-show since it began on Tuesday, and it marks the first time she’s attended since her husband Prince Philip’s death.

The monarch also missed last year’s race as it was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Attending day five of the races, Her Majesty stepped out in a mint-coloured green dress with a matching hat and pink floral detailing, writes The Sun.

She braved the grey weather to cheer on the four horses running in her colours of purple and gold – Reach For The Moon, Tactical, Light Refrain and King’s Lynn.

An announcement said: “Ladies and gentleman we are pleased to announce that Her Majesty the Queen will be arriving at the Parade Ring at 2pm.”

She duly arrived on time in a beige car with all of her horses set to run on Saturday afternoon, waving to the large crowd cheering and applauding her arrival as the national anthem played.

A large police presence is in the area along with members of the Queen’s Guard.

The usual carriage procession which precedes each day’s racing didn’t take place, but given the current weather it may have been a wise decision.

The last time a day’s action at Royal Ascot was lost to the rain was in 1964. Royal Ascot was previously hit by bad weather in 2016 and 2019 – but racing continued unaffected in both years.

Punters like to bet on the colour of the Queen’s hat and this year bookmakers had said the most popular predictions were blue and green due to the change in weather.

Nicola McGeady, of Ladbrokes, said: “Green has been chalked up as the favourite, but red is the mover after money came earlier today.”