A stunning Zara Phillips arrived at Ascot on Tuesday and once again broke with tradition. Rather than stepping out with her family for her Ascot debut, she chose to make an appearance with her boyfriend, jockey Richard Johnson, with whom she she shares a £400,000 country home.
While Zara dazzled racegoers in a pale green dress and lilac hat – “Even among the thousands of people all dressed up, Zara stood out,” said one patron – the Countess of Wessex’s neon outfit left some bewildered. One critic even went so far as to describe her turquoise, pink, orange and green horizontally-striped suit and a pearl-hued hat as resembling a “Neopolitan ice cream”.
The Duke and Duchess, who were celebrating their second wedding anniversary, presented the day’s prizes.
The Queen, in a classic cream outfit, was there, holding hands with her granddaughter Beatrice, and the Queen Mother, who missed the annual garter procession earlier this week, made a brief appearance in a pale blue suit and matching hat.
Despite all the ladies’ finery, practical considerations reigned and, although Ascot is officially free of foot-and-mouth disease, all racegoers had to walk across special disinfectant impregnated mats, leaving some concerned about their elegant footwear. With reason it would seem. “This is powerful stuff – it could easily strip paint,” said one official.
Fashion designer Isabelle Kristensen offers a solution, however – Yves Saint Laurent shoes. “There are almost made for it as they are not stilettos but a raised platform, so your feet are well away from the water,” explained the designer.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
