Dress code in the Royal Enclosure is very strict

It has become one of those sporting events that not only is it worth seeing but also it is worth being seen at.

The competition off the track is almost as intense as that on it.

If you are heading for the Silver Ring then you can take a sigh of relief and not worry about having to compete with the rest as in this area there are no dress restrictions.

However, if you want to watch from the Grandstand Enclosure then you will have to smarten up your act.

In general, most people attending Royal Ascot take the opportunity to put on their best clothes.

Not surprisingly jeans, shorts and singlets are not appropriate, with gentlemen encouraged to wear either a suit or a jacket and tie.

Many ladies opt to wear hats in the Grandstand so as to fit in with many of their peers, but it is not obligatory.

If you have the pleasure of watching from the Royal Enclosure, then a real effort will have to be made.

Ladies are asked to wear formal day dress with a hat covering the crown of the head.

Only black or grey morning dress with the top hat or service dress is acceptable for gentlemen.

But overseas visitors are welcome to wear the national dress of their country.

In an effort to keep with the times, Ascot did experiment in the Swinging Sixties - in 1968, men were permitted to wear lounge suits in the Royal Enclosure on the Friday of the meeting.

Only a handful did and so the policy was dropped for the following year.

In a further relaxation of the rules, trouser suits for women were allowed from 1970.