The Princess of Wales wore a striking red dress by her favourite designer, Alexander McQueen, accessorised with a fetching red hat by Philip Treacy. She added a coordinating red clutch bag and red court shoes.
Her chic red dress had a plunging neckline and pretty puff sleeves, and Princess Kate let her gown do the talking, eschewing a necklace in favour of a pair of statement Esmee earrings by one of her favourite jewellery brands, Sezane.
The dramatic earrings are discontinued now, but it’s not the first time Princess Kate has favoured a design from the brand, wearing an equally striking set of Sezane earrings in April this year.
Prince William looked dapper for the event, in a morning suit and top hat, as is traditional for royal men attending the races.
Princess Kate arrived by carriage, sitting alongside her husband Prince William, his cousin Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and while members of the royal family including Zara Tindall, Princess Anne and King Charles have attended several days of Royal Ascot this week, Friday is Princess Kate’s first appearance at the event.
While she does attend each year, it is thought Royal Ascot is not her favourite event, as she’s allergic to horses!
Princess Kate opened up about her issue to Australian author Kathy Lette during a polo match. When Kathy asked the royal why she didn’t play herself, Prince William’s wife said: “I’m allergic to horses.”
Two years later in 2011, Clarisa Ru, wife of Santa Barbara Polo Club president Wesley Ru told PEOPLE that the Princess of Wales was attempting to overcome her allergy through exposure – also known as immunotherapy.
“I got a chance to have a conversation with Kate,” she said. “I asked if she was into polo before she met William. She said no. But she’s been riding horses for a while and she hopes to play polo one day. She said, ‘I’m actually allergic to them, but the more time one spends with them the less allergic you become’.”
She’s not wrong. Exposing yourself to the allergens from horses works in the same way as immunotherapy, which the NHS describes as “being given occasional small doses of the allergen” with the aim “to help your body get used to the allergen so it does not react to it so severely.”
