The surprising royal who's never attended Royal Ascot - and we're hoping this will change soon!

There’s a surprising royal who’s never attended Royal Ascot races and we can’t help hoping this will change this year! 

• Royal Ascot is a high-profile event in the Royal Family’s calendar but whilst plenty of them have been spotted over the years one surprising royal has not.
• Lady Louise Windsor has never attended Royal Ascot despite being known for her passion for carriage driving and horses.
• This royal news comes as it was revealed that King Charles was reduced “to tears” by Prince William's spontaneous comment about the Duchy of Cornwall's future.  

Just like Wimbledon in July, Cheltenham in March and Christmas at Sandringham, Royal Ascot is a highlight in the Royal Family’s calendar. This annual event is the perfect opportunity to see  members of the immediate and extended Royal Family as plenty have attended regularly over the years. Already we’ve seen the King and Queen twice at the 2023 races, with Queen Camilla’s all-white Ascot outfit showcasing classic elegance at its best. Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have also made their Ascot 2023 debut. 

However, there’s one surprising royal who’s never attended Royal Ascot - despite being closely associated with horses! Whilst she might not be an equestrian in the same way as her aunt Princess Anne and cousin Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor shares their passion for these beautiful animals.

Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie’s daughter has long been a fan of carriage driving and has regularly competed at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. This year she even emulated Princess Anne’s horse brooch when she opted for a silver horse head, shoe and whip brooch for Day 2. As a child she also accompanied her parents to Ascot racecourse to watch the Christmas racing, but she hasn’t ever joined them over the five-day Royal Ascot event in June. 

This is perhaps the most iconic of the racing events held there and although there are tight rules for the royal enclosure regarding what days you can attend if you’re under 18, she is now 19. With so many of her nearest and dearest, including her parents, being regulars at Royal Ascot it’s not clear exactly why Lady Louise Windsor hasn’t made her first appearance yet. 

Royal Ascot takes place every year when UK pupils are still at school, so this could possibly have been a factor. Now she’s attending St Andrew’s University, things could all change as Lady Louise is now on summer break and won’t be back studying until the fall. And although Lady Louise wasn’t on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot is attended by both working royals and non-working royals. 

This means that there seems to be nothing stopping her if Lady Louise is free during Royal Ascot and wants to go. The late Queen Elizabeth was also an avid racing fan and was often joined by Prince Philip there during her reign.  

Lady Louise’s passion for carriage driving was directly inspired by her grandfather and she discussed this during a rare interview for the BBC’s 2021 Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers documentary.

“It's incredible to have learned first hand from him. After a competition, he would always ask how it went. His eyes would light up because he just gets so excited when he talks about it,” she declared.