And they’re off: Royal Ascot racegoers put on a patriotic show as iconic horse racing meet gets underway

Jun 16, 2026 - 11:00

Royal Ascot, the greatest flat racing festival in horse racing, is underway

Royal Ascot, the greatest flat racing festival in all of horse racing, is underway and thousands of punters have dressed to impress at the Berkshire course.

There are over 100 runners across Tuesday’s seven races, with over £2.75m in prize money on offer to the top performers.

Racegoers must adhere to the strict Royal Ascot dress code, with top hats and tails for the gentlemen in the Royal Enclosure, and fascinators mandatory for the ladies – even if Ladies Day is not until Thursday.

Over the course of the festival, which features 35 races over five days through to Saturday, over 300,000 fans are set to attend with the course set to serve over 38,000 hospitality covers. It is seen as one of the world’s premier flat racing festival meets and sits alongside the likes of the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival on the pedestal of high quality British horse racing.

Royal Ascot 2026: Day One - Racing — ASCOT, ENGLAND – JUNE 16: King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in the Royal procession on Day One during Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse on June 16, 2026 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

Royal Ascot: They’re off!

It was described to City AM by Ascot Racecourse chief executive Felicity Barnard as the Best of Britain.

“You must come for a festival, which is the world’s best horse racing and a tapestry of experience,” she said. “[There will be] 100 different music acts, 38,000 hospitality covers, and international horse racing, the likes of which you will never see anywhere else.”

Racegoers Attend Day One Of Royal Ascot — ASCOT, ENGLAND – JUNE 16: Racegoers take a selfie photograph as they arrive at Ascot Racecourse on June 16, 2026 in Ascot, England. Royal Ascot is Britain’s most prestigious flat racing festival, the 2026 meeting features 35 races over five days, including eight premier Group 1 contests, with a record-setting total prize pot of £19.4 million. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

She added: “We are a moment in time in the British summer, and it’s not to be missed. I honestly think it is like nowhere else in world sport. And I would say that very confidently.

“We see it as a responsibility, not only in racing but in world sport, to put on an incredible [offering] of world-class sport, all things Britain – a melting pot of the best that we can really show.”