The skies above Cheltenham may not yet be showing any signs of sunshine, but that didn’t appear to dampen the spirits of those entering the racecourse on the final day of the Gloucestershire meet.

Alongside classic spectator attire – including neutral macs, knee-high riding boots and wide-brimmed fedoras galore, there were plenty of racegoers determined to get themselves noticed in the style stakes. 

The last day of the four-day race meet, which originated in 1860, saw a pair of male spectators in dazzling gold suits, clearing a nod to the famous Gold Cup that will be handed out later today. 

Princess Anne led the royals on Friday; the 73-year-old, who also attended on Thursday, cut an elegant figure in a bright red coat, teamed with black suede boots and a brown fur hat.  The Princess Royal was accompanied by her husband Sir Tim Laurence.

Also in attendance was Mike and Zara Tindall, again back for more racing after attending the event on Thursday too. 

The royal couple exuded rural chic in a coordinated outfit, with Mike opting for a full tweed suit, and Zara in a grey belted coat with over-sized collar and black suede knee-high boots. 

There was a good smattering of famous faces spotted early on too, including actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster and fiancee Talulah Riley, and Nick Knowles and his partner Katie Dadzie. 

Ex Emmerdale and Strictly star Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz Marsland rocked full country chic with Kelvin donning a flat cap, while Liz sported a feathered fedora. 

Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick was also pictured, arriving with his Bollywood actress fiancee Amy Jackson. The star donned black leather trousers and a brown overcoat, while his girlfriend looked on trend in a co-ordinated checked trousersuit and waistcoat. 

Elsewhere, it was all about the fashion. There were ladies wearing coats in shades of fuschia pink and the brightest of yellows and even some Texas Hold’em vibes; one lady donned a cowskin jacket and red bandana.

Some erred on the side of caution when it came to cooler temperatures, with plenty of faux fur Russian style hats also amongst the crowds. 

On hand with the entertainment was DJ and singer Craig David, who was belting out tunes as the final day’s action got underway  

Fashion wise, it’s been a similar story all week; yesterday guests kicked off St Patrick’s Thursday in style, with an array of check coats, vibrant hats and colour coordinated ensembles.

And they were in royal company as Princess Beatrice, 35, and Zara Tindall, 42, enjoyed a cousins’ day out, joined by their husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 40, and former rugby ace Mike Tindall, 45. 

The third day of the festival is known as St Patrick’s Thursday and dozens of revellers dressed accordingly, showing off their shamrocks, green frocks and emerald accessories. 

The Royal Family were also out in force on Thursday, Princess Beatrice and husband Edo joining Zara and Mike at the races.

Beatrice, looking chic in a brown coat, pill box hat and Kate Spade bag wrapped her arms around cousin Zara, who opted for a grey coat and green fascinator. 

A smattering of famous faces were spotted in the crowds, including actor James Nesbitt and presenter Nick Knowles who arrived hand-in-hand with his girlfriend Katie Dadzie.

Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo looked chic in a retro style brown suede coat, teamed with a red headband, after missing the earlier days of the festival. 

This week she took to Instagram to tell fans she was disappointed not to attend every day of the event, but has been spending quality time with her boyfriend – BrewDog James Watt – after moving in together. 

Guests at this year’s meet have hiked up their hemlines, chugged beer and Red Bull and ditched Jimmy Choos for thigh high boots and trainers in a move that has lead to comparisons with Aintree, the Merseyside meet famed for it’s rowdy crowds and street style.

Last year, the Jockey Club scrapped its strict dress code at its racecourses in the hopes of encouraging a younger crowd to racing events, with jeans and trainers no longer looked down upon, and ‘come dressed to feel your best’ guidance in place. 

The formal dress codes – which often included a jacket and tie – were dropped in an effort to make horseracing more ‘accessible and inclusive’, the Jockey Club said in an announcement.

The only exceptions to the new policy at any of the 342 fixtures staged by The Jockey Club is offensive fancy dress or offensive clothing of any kind and replica sports shirts. 

This means trainers, tracksuits and ripped jeans are now allowed and punters so far have seemed to take advantage of this.

While Cheltenham is owned by the Jockey Club, the course never had a formal dress code. 

However, in previous years men would wear suits and women would wear smart dresses and heels, while jeans and trainers were usually avoided. 

But this year, stilettos have been traded in for chunky boots, and traditional long dresses have been hiked up. Noughties fashion seemed to be in vogue, with people opting for rara skirts and blazers. 

This means trainers, tracksuits and ripped jeans are now allowed and punters so far have seemed to take advantage of this.

While Cheltenham is owned by the Jockey Club, the course never had a formal dress code. 

However, in previous years men would wear suits and women would wear smart dresses and heels, while jeans and trainers were usually avoided. 

But this year, stilettos have been traded in for chunky boots, and traditional long dresses have been hiked up. Noughties fashion seemed to be in vogue, with people opting for rara skirts and blazers. 

For today’s race meeting, The Paddy Power Stayer’s Hurdle is the headline act at 15:30 where Teahupoo is hoping to go a couple of places better than last season when denied by stablemate Sire Du Berlais who also lines up again.

It is the most open of the Festival’s feature races with winners tough to predict.

Three previous Stayers’ Hurdle winners line up — Paisley Park, Flooring Porter, who has twice been successful, and last year’s scorer Sire Du Berlais.

Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo finished third last year and returns a more mature and complete athlete at the age of seven, the age of five of the past seven winners. 

From a former army barracks in Malta to a Walnut Whip-shaped building in Edinburgh, there will be a whole host of openings next year – take your pick for a well-deserved break.

MAKE IT MALTA

Hard Rock Hotel Malta in St. Julian’s will open its doors in 2024 in a former British Army barracks. Expect great nightlife, a large gym and swimming pools. It’s huge: 370 rooms.

Details: Room rates have yet to be determined (hardrockhotels.com).

CORKER ON MAJORCA

In the pretty hill town of Arta is the new Juz de Yartan ArtHotel, opening in March, with a rooftop bar and a lovely swimming pool.

Details: Doubles from £154 (yartanhotels.com).

MEXICAN RAVE

The Riviera Maya Edition, opened in preview, is a 182-room design hotel near a pristine beach in a 620-hectare nature reserve. It’s close (but not too close) to Cancun.

Details: Doubles from £500 (editionhotels.com/riviera-maya).

BIG IN JAPAN

Located in a dramatic new high-rise building, Janu Tokyo will open in March, with a sushi restaurant and spa.

Details: Doubles from £800 (january.com).

TEXAS TREATMENT

Bowie House in Fort Worth, Texas – just opened – has rooms with racks for your ten-gallon hat and a great steakhouse.

Details: Doubles from £340 (aubergeresorts.com).

FRENCH FANTASTIC

In a 17th century monastery, the Hotel du Couvent in Nice opens its doors in the spring with sea-view rooms, gardens and swimming pools.

Details: Room rates have yet to be determined (hotelducouvent.com).

JUNGLE JEWEL

On Mexico’s Pacific coast, Our Habitas Mazunte has 28 treehouse-style rooms in dense jungle, close to Oaxaca. There is also a private beach club.

Details: Doubles from £310 (ourhabitas.com).

EYES ON ITALY

Collegio alla Querce will open this summer in Florence with 82 rooms surrounded by a baroque terraced garden and a 35-metre swimming pool.

Details: Room rates have yet to be determined (aubergeresorts.com).

ARABIAN NIGHTS

St Regis Red Sea on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast – with its white sands and fantastic snorkelling – has 90 chic rooms on a private island. Opens next month.

Details: Doubles from £1,700 (marriott.com).

FLORIDA FINERY

Opening in the fall, The Vineta on Palm Beach will be a 41-room boutique hotel, right on the sand and also close to the social buzz of Worth Avenue.

Details: Room rates have yet to be determined (oetkercollection.com).

MANOOR OF SPEAKING

North of Palma, in Mallorca’s Tramuntana Mountains, Hotel Valldemossa will open its doors in February in an old mansion with about ten rooms with modern art.

Details: Doubles from £239 B&B (valldemossahotel.com).

CZECH IT OUT

In the former Grand Hotel Europa, an Art Nouveau building from 1905, W Prague will have a rooftop bar, 161 rooms and a spa.

Details: Room rates have yet to be determined (marriott.com).

JAMAICA JAMBOREE

For a chic all-inclusive hotel, look no further than Riu Palace Aquarelle in Jamaica. It has top-class cuisine, a water park and a spa.

Details: Seven nights all-inclusive including flights from £1,764 pp (tui.co.uk).

AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE OPENINGS IN THE UK…

SCOTTISH SURPRISES

In the heart of Edinburgh – which looks like a gigantic steel Walnut Whip – the just-opened W Edinburgh has 244 rooms and stunning views. Japanese-Brazilian dishes are served at Sushi Samba on the 10th floor.

Details: Doubles from £283 (marriott.com).

Or head to 100 Princes Street, also Edinburgh, which will open in the summer in the Royal Over-Seas League building. There will be 30 rooms and a luxurious lounge with an unobstructed view of the castle.

Details: Doubles from £330 B&B (100princess-street.com).

LOW COSTS LONDON

The Ruby Stella will open in Clerkenwell in March, with a library-style bar and 153 rooms.

Details: Doubles from £153 (ruby-hotels.com).

MANCHESTER MUST

The Treehouse in Manchester will open in April with a rooftop bar and two restaurants.

Details: Doubles from £199 (treehousehotels.com/manchester).

OXFORD DREAM

The Store hotel is built in the former Oxford department store Boswells on Broad Street and will open in March with a rooftop bar.

Details: Doubles from £285 B&B (thestoreoxford.com).

BEAUTIFUL LAKES

Langdale Chase has reopened after a major refurbishment, with 30 rooms, two restaurants, a cinema and lawns on the front of Windermere.

Details: Doubles from £290 B&B (langdalechase.co.uk).

FAST AND CURIOUS

Escapade opens in April with 60 rooms and suites with balconies overlooking the Silverstone race circuit in Northamptonshire.

Details: Doubles from £199 (silverstone.nl).

SOMERSET CHIC

Holm, an acclaimed restaurant in South Petherton, has just opened seven chic new bedrooms.

Details: B&B doubles from £145 (holmsomerset.co.uk).

NORTHERN ENLIGHTENMENT

Bailiffgate in Alnwick, Northumberland, is an old school that is now a cool new 48-bedroom hotel, opening in the summer.

Details: Doubles from £161 (tailormadehotels.com/bailiffgate-hotel).

BRIGHTON ROCKS

A new boutique hotel in Brighton called 124 Kings Road will be spread across four beachfront Georgian buildings when it opens in 2024.

Details: Doubles from £295 B&B (pensionhotels.co.uk).

COZY IN CORNWALL

Sands Resort in Cornwall, near Watergate Bay, is being converted into an aparthotel. The apartments are equipped with a kitchen. Opening towards the summer.

Details: Rates yet to be determined (sandsresort.nl).

Keen racegoers celebrated the British summer time with floral frocks and fascinators this morning as they arrived at the second day of Royal Ascot 2023. 

Stylish ladies were spotted walking into the racecourse ahead of another day of nail-biting races and plenty of partying.

Many opted for wild and wonderful outfits for the occasion, with some taking advantage of this year’s updated dress-code which permits women to wear trousers.

The glamorous scenes at the beginning of day two, where white seemed to be the colour of the moment among the earliest attendees, come after hilarious antics captured last night as the opening day of the festival came to a close. 

Among the scenes of revellers who were heading home after a day of partying were savvy women who had ditched their high heels in favour of sensible flat shoes to travel home in, as well as a gentleman who had picked up some snacks to tide him over for the evening.

As the festival continues for its second day in the baking summer sunshine, partying racegoers will no doubt be ready for another day of festivities. 

The opening of Royal Ascot 2023 saw plenty of royals descend on the racecourse to celebrate King Charles’s first event as monarch.

Included in the royal line-up was King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

This year, organisers of the race have paid tribute to Royal Ascot’s ‘biggest fan’, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away last September.

During her 70-year reign, Her late Majesty attended almost every single Royal Ascot festival, with the exception of last year.

This year, organisers have displayed a heartwarming collection of photos of the Queen visiting Ascot over the years. 

They include a black-and-white photo of the royal riding on the tracks in 1960 when she was 34 years old. 

The mother-of-four was pictured with a headscarf and riding boots on on as her horse galloped along the track.

The Queen was taking part in an unofficial race with others members of her royal party and ended up finishing fourth. 

What’s more, the organisers also selecting a photograph of the Queen beaming at Ladies Day in 2013. 

The event turned out to be one of the Queen’s most successful Ascots as her horse Estimate won the Gold Cup – making her the first monarch in 200 years to scoop the prize.

The late royal was pictured beaming at her trophy, which was presented to her by her son Prince Andrew. 

The Queen was dressed in one of her signature coat dresses in a pretty shade of purple. 

Underneath her jacket, the monarch wore a pretty floral dress – which perfectly complimented the flowers on her hat. 

In the image, the Queen is seen wearing a three-strand pearl necklace – which she also wore to her final ever Ascot in June 2021.