Royal Ascot 2026: day one horse racing updates – live

Royal Ascot 2026 is underway with live updates from the opening day of the prestigious horse racing meeting. A notable social talking point is whether Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will attend, after reports in February suggested they had been excluded due to their father Prince Andrew's association with Jeffrey Epstein, while Hello! magazine reported in April that they had in fact been invited by King Charles. The 4:20pm St James's Palace Stakes is among the featured races on day one.