King Charles' late-bloomin love for the Royal races g

As the great and the good gather for the smartest date in the summer social calendar, we look at how Royal patronage at Ascot extends back centuries

- Neil Clark

IT'S a fundamental fixture of the British summer social calendar that stretches back more than two centuries, surviving world wars, Covid lockdowns and much else besides. Royal Ascot the five-day feast of fashion and world class Flat Racing - takes centre stage again this week.

And with the forecast predicting glorious sunny weather and temperatures in the high; 20s, you could argue there will be few better places to be than the regally owned racecourse in Berkshire, even though it might get a bit hot and sticky for the men in their morning suits and top hats in the Royal Enclosure.

Governments may come and go, as do monarchs, but Royal Ascot provides one reassuring constant in an ever-changing and, it seems, looking at the news headlines, increasingly dangerous-world.

Its ability not only to survive but to continue thriving amid so much social change, human conflict and global disorder has been remarkable.

Only a couple of years ago there were worries that with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a huge enthusiast, the event might not be so keenly endorsed by Charles, her son and heir, and consequently, its appeal might be adversely affected. But these concerns have proved unfounded.

This year, King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend all five days with reports suggesting the King has "surprised himself" with how much he has enjoyed attending the meeting. Camilla, like the late Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother, has always been a passionate fan of horse racing and it seems that this has now rubbed off on to her husband.

In 2023, his first year on the throne, the King enjoyed his first winner at the meeting with Desert Hero, in the King George V Stakes, a race named after his great-grandfather.

A royal winner at the meeting is always celebrated.