Camilla joins racegoers at Cheltenham Festival for ‘Style Wednesday’

The Queen joined spectators at the Cheltenham Festival for a day of racing at the premier meet in the country for jump jockeys.

Snow had greeted early risers at the famous racecourse but Camilla arrived in sunshine as punters poured through the gates ahead of the first race.

Camilla walked past racegoers, who captured the moment on their camera phones, as she was escorted by Sybil Ruscoe, deputy lieutenant for Gloucestershire, to the Princess Royal stand.

The festival is a huge event in the area with bars, hotels and pubs filled in nearby Cheltenham, and alongside a normal trolley service one train, from Paddington to the town’s main station, had another trolley selling just cans of beer.

The Queen is due to present the winning trophies in the feature race the Queen Mother Champion Chase, being held on the second day of the festival dubbed “Style Wednesday” when punters are encouraged to up the fashion stakes.

The race is the most prestigious event for two-mile chasers in the jump racing calendar and is expected to attract a huge amount in bets.

Among those joining Camilla in the royal box were festival stalwarts Zara and Mike Tindall and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Camilla has a keen interest in the equestrian world, regularly attending major racing meets such as Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival and is associated with a number of equine charities including The British Equestrian Federation and the Ebony Horse Club.

She was recently announced as the royal patron of the British Racing School which trains the next generation in the horse racing industry.