Royal Ascot began on Tuesday, and here are some photos of Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall attending Day 1. Honestly, I consistently forget that these three events usually line up in a row: Trooping the Colour, Garter Day and Ascot. The Windsors have months where nothing much is happening and then BAM! Busy for a whole week. Not so much in Zara and Mike’s case, since they didn’t attend Trooping or Garter Day, but they love anything to do with horses.

For Day 1, Zara wore a pale lilac dress by Rebecca Vallance. Zara wears a lot of Vallance looks and they’re never flattering – these are the puffy-shouldered, weird-sleeved, tea-length dresses which have been “on trend” in the UK (and beyond) for years now. Every woman who wears this style looks awful. Zara paired the dress with a Juliette Millinery hat, Emmy London heels, an Anya Hindmarch purse and Bulgari sunglasses. I wonder which of those brands are paying Zara? Meanwhile, something funny happened when Zara and Mike tried to enter Ascot:

Zara Tindall was turned away from the gates of Royal Ascot this afternoon after a security guard failed to realise who she was. Zara was accompanied by husband Mike and his rugby friends including Austin Healey and Nicky Robinson as the group chatted warmly with acquaintances and well-wishers on their arrival.

After attempting to enter via the owners’ entrance, Zara was directed towards the ticket office due to not having a pass and politely acknowledged the instruction. The mistake by the well-meaning security guard was quickly seized upon by colleagues, with one rushing over to inform the member of staff that the King’s niece was most certainly able to enter.

The pair posed for pictures with waiting press and signed autographs for opportunistic passersby before entering the Royal Enclosure ahead of the first race.

[From The Daily Express]

While “don’t you know who I am” was probably not verbalized, I’m sure it was implied. Why would Zara try to breeze in through the owner’s entrance if she didn’t have a pass though? Or tickets? It’s also funny because King Charles didn’t allow Zara and Mike to ride in one of the carriages for the Royal Procession. Zara’s brother got invited into one of the carriages. Hm!! I looked closely at Zara’s pass (on her lapel) – it says “Parade Ring Pass,” which apparently *does* ensure her access to the royal enclosure. Why didn’t she have that pass when she tried to enter Ascot though?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.