It was the first time the
married couple jointly took part in the traditional procession along the course
as they travelled with the Queen’s first cousin, Princess Alexandra, and
the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penelope Knatchbull.
However, royal watchers were
quick to notice Princess Beatrice’s sweet gesture towards her champions by
travelling backwards.
It’s believed that the
Queen and members of the royal family tend to take the forward-facing
seats since they have a better view of the crowds and the racecourse as they
enter the enclosure. They also tend to be photographed more clearly.
On this occasion, Beatrice and
Edoardo bent the rules and took the backwards-facing seats – no doubt as a sign
of respect to the Queen’s cousin and close friend.
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Princess Beatrice and Edoardo took the backwards-facing seats in the carriage
They joined the procession
with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who was sat in the
first carriage with Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, leaving an empty seat
in honour of the Queen’s absence.
Her Majesty has been forced to
miss the sporting event she is passionate about but is likely to have watched
proceedings on television from Windsor Castle and been kept abreast of
developments by her racing advisor John Warren.
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They were joined by Princess Alexandra and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma
The Queen has more than ten
horses entered over the five days of the event and, with her Berkshire home
just a 15-minute drive away, there is still some hope she will attend during
the week.
Prince Edward and the Countess
of Wessex were also in attendance alongside the likes of the Queen’s cousin
Flora Vesterberg.
