Royal Ascot backs next generation of hat-makers from King’s charity

The King’s charity has announced a millinery partnership with Royal Ascot to nurture the next generation of hat-makers.

Ahead of this month’s world-famous meet, known as much for its colourful and creative displays of headwear as the horseracing, Ascot has introduced a £10,000 annual bursary to support a King’s Foundation and Chanel graduating millinery student.

The Foundation’s students will also be showcasing their hats at this year’s Royal Ascot, which runs from June 17-21, with a special display for racegoers in the Queen Anne Enclosure on the Berkshire course.

The Chanel and The King’s Foundation Metiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M, Chanel’s creative hub for artisans in Paris, was launched in 2024 with a cohort of six students.

It forms part of The King’s Foundation’s wider work, inspired by Charles’s passion for protecting traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost.

Future students joining the millinery course will also be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot-inspired hat, with one selected to feature in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective from 2026 onwards as its 11th design.

Mr McAuliffe added: “This is such a fantastic opportunity for our talented millinery students as they begin to build their businesses.

“We are delighted to be working with Ascot and our long-term partners Chanel and le19M to recognise the importance of the British tradition of millinery.”

Felicity Barnard, Ascot Racecourse’s chief executive, said: “Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot’s heritage and we are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come.”