King Charles and Queen Camilla expected to honour late Queen’s Royal Ascot tradition

Tuesday (June 20) marks the return of the much-anticipated return of Royal Ascot, an occasion that held a special place in the heart of the late Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to lead the royal entourage in the customary carriage procession this year, following the Queen’s death last year.

Along with its exciting horse races, Royal Ascot is famous for a fun and widely followed betting custom involving the late Queen. Given her preference for bright colours, bets on the colour of Her Majesty’s hat were frequently placed by spectators both at the racetrack and at home.

The hat colour betting tradition was a topic of discussion among Ascot lovers this year, and it now appears that it will indeed continue. Ladbrokes, a renowned bookmaker, has said they would provide odds for anyone who wants to wager on the hue of Queen Camilla’s hat, however it is yet unclear whether this will evoke the same amount of interest.

In a statement to the Mirror, Nicola McGeady, Head of PR at Ladbrokes, said: "Punters have long gambled on the colour of the Queen’s hat. It is a traditional, fun flutter that has been a part of Royal Ascot for a very long time.

"With the torch being passed to Queen Camilla, we will keep offering odds on what colour she wears on all five days. Whether it remains as popular a bet remains to be seen. Her late Majesty was daring in the fashion stakes, wearing bold and bright colours, but we think Queen Camilla may go for a more muted approach with cream and white shades the favourite.

"She does veer towards blues and navy a lot also so that has been chalked up as the second favourite. However, she may surprise us with bolder colours as the week goes on."

Other bookmakers, including Coral and Star Sports, are also offering odds on the colour of the Queen’s hat. Additionally, Star Sports has extended the betting options to include the colour of Camilla’s hat and even the colour of King Charles’ tie.

Charles and Camilla are expected to attend all five days of the race meeting as the Queen did, with Royal Ascot typically attracting a diverse range of royals, with the Prince and Princess of Wales often enjoying a day at the event at least once.

One of Britain’s most well-known racecourses, Ascot holds a special week of races in June each year called Royal Ascot, attended by the late Queen, who had an interest in horses since childhood. This week has become Britain’s most popular race meeting, welcoming around 300,000 visitors over five days, all dressed up in their finest clothes and hats.