Princess Anne experienced a minor hiccup when her carriage got into difficulties en route to Royal Ascot. A local resident captured the moment on video as the carriage procession came to an unexpected halt in Cheapside, Berkshire.
The footage showed royal aides hastily attending to the second carriage’s reins, which had come loose, carrying Princess Anne, The Duke of Wellington, The Duchess of Wellington, and Mrs Annabel Elliot, the sister of Queen Camilla. Paul Arora, a local who was watching the procession, said: “It was a quintessential English scene where the King and members of the Royal Family made their way through a small village this morning for the start of Royal Ascot.
“Many of the locals turned out to show their support and were blessed by the wonderful weather. However, the royals were not so blessed as one of the carriages had a horse break its reins.”
He told the Express: “We noted it had caused a delay for a few minutes, and royal rushed to help fix the problem, which they appeared to do so very efficiently,” reports the Mirror.
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“Shortly after, the procession continued and all was well. After the mishap occurred, my friends were discussing the incident – it made quite the talking point!”
The King’s carriage was seen waiting further up the hill while repairs were made to Princess Anne’s carriage. The local community, including school children, turned out in force to greet the Royal family, with the unexpected event adding excitement to the day’s proceedings.
An Ascot local was in high spirits at a garden party held to celebrate the opening day of the esteemed racing event. The first carriage of the Royal procession included King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick.
In a third carriage were Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne, alongside Mr Anthony Horowitz and his wife. The fourth carriage carried Mr Henry Morton Jack, Lady Joanna Morton Jack, Lord Vestey and Lady Vestey.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal procession, a tradition that dates back to George IV’s reign in 1825, when he was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington.
Upon their arrival at the renowned racecourse, Charles and Camilla expressed their excitement over the prospect of having a Royal Ascot winner.
In the official programme, the King and Queen wrote: “Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days.”
The Royal couple will be eagerly anticipating the Ascot Stakes, where their horse Reaching High, trained by Willie Mullins, is set to compete against other thoroughbreds.
