Free Web Submission Articles Who joined the King and Queen in the royal procession on the first day of Ascot?Who joined the King and Queen in the royal procession on the first day of Ascot?
Who joined the King and Queen in the royal procession on the first day of Ascot?
Sharing the first carriage with the King and Queen on 18 June were longtime friends of Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington has hosted the King at his Spanish estate countless times throughout the decades; in the 1970s, Charles even courted the Duke’s sister, Jane Wellesley.
Born Antonia Elizabeth Brigid Louise Mansfeld of Prussia, the Duchess of Wellington is a direct ancestor of Queen Victoria through her father, Prince Friedrich of Prussia. She married Wellesley in 1977 at St Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge. In attendance? Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and the then Prince Charles himself.
The couple have gone on to enjoy an enduring bond with the King and Queen, and it marks the second year in a row that they have been chosen to join Charles and Camilla during the Royal Procession at Ascot. A testament to the bond between the families, the Duke of Wellington was chosen to carry Queen Mary’s crown during the Queen’s regalia procession at the Coronation last year.
No doubt everyone in the first royal carriage is aware that 18 June marks Waterloo Day – where certain regiments of the British Army commemorate the defeat of Napoleon by the 1st Duke Wellington, Arthur Wellesley. Indeed, there is typically a Waterloo Ceremony at Windsor Castle, where the current Duke of Wellington pays symbolic rent to the monarch for their residence at Stratfield Saye House, which was gifted to Arthur Wellesley following the historic victory.
Joining Princess Anne in the second carriage is her son Peter Phillips. Known as the late Queen’s ‘favourite grandson’, the 46-year-old is currently enjoying a whirlwind romance with his new girlfriend, Harriet Sperling. The two have been spotted enjoying each other’s company at the Beaufort Polo Club and the Badminton Horse Trials, where Phillips introduced the NHS nurse and writer to Queen Camilla. While sources close to the couple are adamant that it’s early doors for the pair – too early for Harriet to be invited to join the Princess Royal’s carriage at Ascot – it’s clear that love is in the air following Peter’s recent splits from Autumn Kelly and Lindsay Wallace, both of whom have joined him at the event in the past.
They were accompanied by Lady Gabriella Windsor, who appeared in public for the first time at Trooping the Colour over the weekend following the death of her husband Thomas Kingston. Lady Gabriella, known as Ella to her friends, is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, with whom she is thought to be staying in the wake of her loss. She wore an elegant pink floral dress and matching pastel fascinator for the carriage journey, before sharing a warm embrace with her cousin Zara Tindall.
Completing the set of the second royal carriage, John Warren was a trusted racing manager for the late Queen Elizabeth. Overseeing all her horse breeding and races endeavours – including a Gold Cup victory for her horse, Estimate, at Ascot in 2013 – Warren worked with Elizabeth II for 13 years, honoured with a Commandership of the Royal Victorian Order in June 2022.
Carriage three hosted the Earl and Countess of Halifax, who are friends of the Royal Family. Peter Wood, 3rd Earl Halifax, is a British peer and was once considered as a potential husband for Princess Anne. His wife, Camilla Halifax, was previously married to Andrew Parker Bowles’ late younger brother, Rick, making her a one-time sister-in-law of Queen Camilla. The late Queen stayed with the Halifaxes at Garrowby Hall (where Charles and Camilla used to meet in secret) when Royal Ascot was moved to York.
Two more of Camilla’s family members joined the Halifaxes in carriage three. Her sister, Annabel Elliott, is the Queen’s closest confident. An interior designer, Annabel was King Charles’ first choice to zhuzh up the Lodge at his beloved Dumfries House. Her husband, Simon, a Dorset landowner, was also very much in the fold until his tragic passing earlier this year. Annabel Elliot was by Her Majesty’s side at the coronation.
Her son, Sir Ben Elliot, is Queen Camilla’s nephew, and founded Quintessentially, the concierge company that provides extravagant services for billionaire members (flying teabags to Madonna in America, staging lunch on an iceberg, closing Sydney Harbour Bridge for a marriage proposal). He served as co-chairman of the Conservative Party between 2019 and 2022. Known as an ‘eco-warrior’ within the House of Commons, he is good friends with Zac Goldsmith and is married to Mary-Clare, Steve Winwood’s eldest daughter and rock royalty.
In carriage four was former Ascot chairman Sir Johnny Weatherby, who revitalised the event after inheriting financial challenges when he took over the position in 2008. Sir Weatherby is credited with bringing the Birdcage to Ascot, and attracting the world’s most impressive racehorses to the course. He was joined by his wife and racehorse trainer Ralph Beckett, grandson of the 3rd Baron Grimthorpe. Beckett, too, chose his wife to accompany him in the carriage.
Reference: Tatler: :
