Queen Camilla knows that no good outfit should go to waste — here’s how she repurposed her wedding guest look for Royal Ascot
Queen Camilla went no farther than her royal closet to find an outfit for Royal Ascot.
King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped out on Wednesday to attend the second day of horse races at Royal Ascot. As they made their grand entrance in a horse-drawn carriage in the Royal Procession, royal watchers got their first glimpse of the Queen’s ensemble for the daytime event: a pale pink coat dress by Anna Valentine.
There’s a reason the ensemble looked familiar: it was the same outfit that Camilla wore to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s May 2018 royal wedding. Coinciding with many wedding guests’ choice to wear pastel colors — including Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland in mint green and Kate Middleton in light yellow — Camilla’s pink ensemble was perfect for the spring nuptials.
It appeared that Queen Camilla, 75, wore the same three-strand pearl necklace with a pink centerpiece stone for Royal Ascot as she did in 2018 for the wedding. However, she did change up her headwear. For Harry and Meghan’s wedding, Camilla wore a matching pink feathered hat, but she opted for a beige topper by Philip Treacy at Royal Ascot.
Queen Camilla often recycles her favorite pieces of clothing, and she’s not the only royal to do so. In fact, Charles escorted his new daughter-in-law Meghan down the aisle at her big day wearing a grey morning suit by Anderson & Sheppard — an outfit that’s been in his closet since 1984.
British Vogue editor Edward Enninful once asked the royal if he had considered wearing something new for such an occasion, to which Charles replied, “I’ve considered it. But in the case of that particular morning coat, as long as I can go on getting into it, I only wear it a few times a year, in the summer, so obviously you want to keep those sorts of things going.”
“But if I can’t fit into them, then I just have to have something new made,” Charles, now 75, continued. “But I’m not sure quite how radically different they can be at my age.”
While Queen Elizabeth is closely associated with Royal Ascot for her lifelong love of horses and regular attendance at the event, Queen Camilla and King Charles looked animated as they watched the races on Tuesday and Wednesday during the first time the event was held since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September.
They looked through binoculars at points as they stood beside Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The couple was joined by Prince Edward and Sophie as well as Princess Anne, Zara and Mike Tindall and other members of the royal family at the horse racing staple. On Wednesday, musical theater legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, who composed the anthem “Make a Joyful Noise” for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation in May, rode in the Royal Procession.
Others in the parade included Lord and Lady Halifax, riding with the King and Queen, and following were Lord Soames, one of the King’s oldest friends, and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of Queen Camilla’s companions who helps her at royal engagements.