One benefit of being on staff at the US Embassy in London was invitations to the Royal Enclosure during the Royal Meeting in June 1979. Dress rules are strict - top hot and tails for the men, hats and formal day dress for the women. Gloves are no longer required. My invitation was for Ladies Day, the Thursday of the Royal Meeting, the day Eliza Doolittle uttered her famous “Move yer bloomin’ arse!” in the musical “My Fair Lady.”

The strict dress code has been the tradition almost from the day Queen Anne founded the course at Ascot in 1711. The beau monde, England’s powerful 17th and 18th century elite, used fashion to consolidate and hold power. Attendance then, as now, was more about seeing and being seen, than the races themselves when fashion spoke volumes about politics and allegiances. Unless you’re Queen Elizabeth II who raises and breeds racehorses. She races her own - jockeys wear her colors, purple with gold trim, scarlet sleeves, and a black velvet hat with gold trim. She’s serious about the sport - and bounces with excitement just like other owners when her horses lead or win. That was a joy to behold!