The betting at Royal Ascot flows thick and fast, but it’s not just the horses that catch the punters’ eyes – there’s a fierce market in what colour the Queen’s hat will be.
While the bookies have run bets on the Queen’s colour choice throughout the annual race meet, it’s Ladies’ Day when the speculation really hots up.
This year, the Queen opted for a pink hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan:
The Queen arrives for day three of Royal Ascot (Steve Parsons/PA)
Every Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot, betting on the colour of the Queen’s hat is a popular pastime (John Walton/PA)
2016’s orange with highlights of blue may have seemed a bold choice – but Gold Cup-winning jockey Ryan Moore had the same idea (David Davies/PA)
Again, Gold Cup-winning jockey Ryan Moore seemed to have been tipped off – matching Her Majesty’s purple in 2013 (Steve Parsons/PA)
Curly green foliage added a distinctive focus to the Queen’s 2011 hat (Steve Parsons/PA)
Did the bookies pay out on white or mint green in 2009? (Steve Parsons/PA)
Lemon in 2006 was accentuated with a cluster of pink roses (John Walton/Empics)
Feathers adorned the 2003 Ladies’ Day hat choice (Chris Young/PA)
Back in 1998 the Queen chose shocking pink (Neil Munns/PA)
