King and Queen reign

THE King enjoyed a topping start to Royal Ascot as he and the Queen led the carriage procession to the racecourse in the glorious summer sunshine.

- Emily Ferguson

Wearing a grey morning suit and a top hat, Charles beamed alongside Camilla, who wore a royal blue dress and hat for the start of the five-day annual race meeting.

Their eye-catching headgear set the tone for a brilliant display by fellow racegoers.

But no less apparent was the royals' caring nature, with pride of place for Lady Gabriella Kingston, who tragically lost her husband earlier this year.

The King, 75, invited Ella, as she is known to friends and family, to join him in the traditional carriage procession, and she sat in the second carriage alongside Princess Anne.

Wearing a floral dress and pink hat, Ella, 43, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, was later enveloped in a huge hug from Anne's daughter Zara Tindall, 43. She was also seen chatting with Princess Eugenie, 34, who joined the royals for the society race event.

The event was particularly poignant for Lady Gabriella as she attended Royal Ascot last year with her late husband, who took his own life in February at the age of 45.