Princess Catherine may have set the dress code for Royal Ascot 2026 – and she did it three years ago without even knowing it.
The Princess of Wales stepped out in a stunning tomato red Alexander McQueen dress at her last Royal Ascot appearance in 2023, turning heads in the bold outfit.
And now the same red shade has been officially named the inaugural Colour of the Year for the 2026 event, this time dubbed ‘Bright Tomato’ in the newly released Royal Ascot Handbook: The Art of Dressing Well.
It’s the kind of fashion influence that we love to see from Kate Middleton.
And with Royal Ascot 2026 right around the corner, the style stakes have never been higher.
Here’s everything you need to know about the much-loved racing event.
What date is Royal Ascot in 2026?
Royal Ascot 2026 is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, June 16, to Saturday, June 20, 2026.
The prestigious five-day event held at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, UK, features elite racing, including the Gold Cup on Thursday, June 18 (also known as Ladies’ Day) and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday, June 20.
Each day, the gates will open at 10.30am with the royal procession at 2pm and racing starting at 2.30pm.
Can anyone attend Royal Ascot?
Tickets are available to purchase to attend Royal Ascot for five days of world-class racing, style and pageantry, via the Royal Ascot website.
There are four Royal Ascot enclosures, with three of those open to the public: Windsor Enclosure, Village Enclosure and Queen Anne Enclosure.
Gaining access to the Royal Enclosure is a little more tricky.
The Royal Enclosure still works on an invitation-only membership basis, as it was at its inception, when the area was exclusively reserved for guests of The King.
Royal Enclosure members have access to a private trackside viewing lawn, a dedicated fourth floor vantage point in the grandstand, an exclusive area around the parade ring, several fine dining restaurants and a dedicated car park.
In order to visit the Royal Enclosure, a new applicant will need to be sponsored by two eligible members and must be 18 years or older at the time of the event. Then, a £100 ($188) joining fee applies.
How much does it cost to attend Royal Ascot?
For 2026, Royal Ascot ticket prices start from as low as £25–£37 ($47-$70) for the cheapest enclosure, depending on the day and how early they are booked.
Tickets for the premier Queen Anne Enclosure start around £75 ($141), with prices rising for more popular days like Ladies Day (Thursday).
What is the dress code for Royal Ascot 2026?
Royal Ascot, particularly the Royal Enclosure, requires strict, formal attire.
Which means for the Royal Family, women must wear dresses or skirts of modest length (just above the knee or longer) with straps more than 1 inch, and hats (not fascinators).
And for men, black/grey morning suits with waistcoats and top hats are the order of the day.
Other enclosures have slightly relaxed rules (e.g., jumpsuits allowed, no top hats).
This year, racegoers are encouraged to wear statement dresses and millinery in the event’s colour of the year.
An inaugural Royal Ascot Colour of the Year has been introduced, and on Ladies’ Day, guests will be encouraged to wear their best “bright tomato” shade as part of the dress code.
Women have been urged to wear the colour in “statement dresses” or “bold millinery” on June 18, also known as Gold Cup Day.
Men have been told to incorporate it through “tailoring ties, pocket squares and subtle accents”.
“Every year at Royal Ascot, there is always one trend that stands out as a big hit with butter yellow and periwinkle blue being recent examples,” tells Ascot’s creative director, Daniel Fletcher:
“For 2026, we’re seeing a distinct shift towards confident, expressive colour with bright tomato set to take centre stage as a defining shade in occasion wear, bringing a bold new direction for the Royal Ascot palette.
“That bright orangey-red of a ripe tomato creates an instant feeling of summer joy.”
This year’s turn to bright tomato follows expert trend forecasting for the Ascot racecourse, but also runway shows for spring and summer this year.
What days do the royals attend Royal Ascot?
Members of the Royal Family typically attend all five days of the Royal Ascot meeting, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla and other family members usually participate in the daily Royal Procession at 2pm, with high attendance often seen on the first two days.
In 2025, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal family at the event every day.
Other key royal attendees last year included Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson.
Did Meghan Markle ever attend Royal Ascot?
Meghan Markle attended Royal Ascot once, making her debut on June 19, 2018, just a month after her wedding to Prince Harry.
She arrived in the royal carriage procession with the now Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, wearing a white Givenchy dress and a Philip Treacy hat.
Thousands of racegoers cheered the newlyweds, who married on May 19, 2018, in a glittering ceremony at the nearby Windsor Castle.
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