Fergie can’t contain her delight at mixing with the royals at Ascot

Sarah Ferguson hasn’t been a royal for more than 20 years but she hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for the family, with a series of photos showing the famous redhead looking delighted to be at Royal Ascot.

Fergie clutched elder daughter Princess Beatrice’s hand on the field and wa seen having a long chat with younger daughter Princess Eugenie, before the she and Beatrice retired to a balcony to watch the famous horse races.

The young princesses came in for some criticism over their dresses on previous days of Royal Ascot, but on day four of the annual racing carnival Beatrice looked stylish in a beige coat-dress with a nipped-in waist, while Eugenie was colourful in a blue print dress with eye-catching blue and orange spike heels. 

Fergie kept her headwear restrained – at least in comparison to some of the styles that’ve been seen on the field – and her outfit low-key with a black-and-white geometric dress and off-centre pillbox-style hat. 

The Queen, meanwhile, looked delighted to be at Ascot for the fourth day, wearing her customary buttoned coat and matching hat with sensible black shoes and her favourite style of black handbag. She was no doubt relieved to have Prince Philip back at home, after he was released from hospital yesterday following a two-day precautionary stay for an infection. He’s now recovering at Windsor Castle, not far from Ascot.

The monarch hasn’t missed an Ascot carnival since she took the throne in 1952, so didn’t allow her consort’s illness to keep her from the event on earlier days. But British newspapers reported that Queen Elizabeth was to be disappointed by the performance of her horse Call to Mind, which was running on day four but was beaten by some distance.

One of the fashion winners of this year’s carnival has been Sophie, the Duchess of Wessex. Prince Edward’s wife has wowed in a series of pretty dresses and hats, with natural make-up that showed off her cute freckles.

Even Princess Anne, who normally favours sensible over flashy, pulled off a style triumph on day three of the carnival with an unusual emerald-coloured ensemble.

Have you enjoyed watching the fashions on the field at Royal Ascot this year?