Royal Ascot is always an exciting week for the Royal Family - and has been for hundreds of years, as they have a long history of attending the prestigious horse racing occasion. The event kicked off on Tuesday (17 June) and has already seen multiple royals as well as celebrity guests pass through its gates, but there was one person in particular that fans were thrilled to see return; the Princess of Wales.
On Wednesday (17 June), The Princess arrived at Royal Ascot for the first time in three years. The day was a personal milestone for Kate, as it was her Ascot debut since her cancer diagnosis. In January last year, she revealed that she was in remission, and has since been returning to full duties, with the public thrilled to see her looking well while out enjoying engagements again.
For the special occasion, The Princess chose to re-wear one of her favourite looks, a sunshine yellow dress by Roksanda, which she previously wore to Wimbledon in 2022. She paired the vibrant piece with a striking hat in the same sunny shade, as she arrived alongside Prince William for the second day of races.
As is tradition, The Prince and Princess of Wales took part in a carriage procession - as have other members of the Royal Family - and Prince William was snapped engaging in some banter with passersby. The couple were filmed getting into their carriage, waving to the crowds who had come out to see them.
Prince William wore a formal three piece suit and top hat, adding a yellow flower on his jacket to co-ordinate with his wife. Noticing this detail, a member of the public complimented his button hole, and Prince William thanked her. She then added, 'up the villa!' referring to the Aston Villa football team, which the Prince famously supports.
Initially thinking the member of the public was making fun of the team, he began to defend Villa before she confirmed she was a fellow fan. Prince William then raised his fist in solidarity and laughed alongside Kate and the crowds. Nodding in approval, he said, 'good season!' You can watch a full video of the exchange below:
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Prince William has a personal as well as professional interest in football, and is patron of the Football Association, having formerly been the organisation's president. Ahead of the evening's World Cup match between England and Croatia, Prince William left a personal message of support on the stories of the official instagram account he shares with Kate, writing, 'Good luck to England ahead of their first World Cup group match tonight! He's to a great tournament ahead.'
After this post, the couple shared a snap of them suited and booted from Ascot (also on their stories) writing, 'A wonderful day at Royal Ascot' and signing it off with their initials to show it was a personal message from them. They also shared a round up video of their day out.
