The Cheltenham Festival and the royals: What do Kate Middleton and Zara Tindall wear to the races?

For years, attending a prestigious event such as the Cheltenham Festival was synonymous with occasion dressing such as suits and ties and dresses and hats. However, The Jockey Club have recently removed formal dress codes.

On their website it now says the following: “We’re all unique, and no more so than in our sense of style and comfort. For some, wearing a nice sweatshirt, pair of jeans and clean trainers is what makes them feel confident and at ease. For others, they might prefer to turn heads with a sharp suit or glamorous dress and high heels, particularly for one of our big race meetings.”

As the royals have always adhered to more formal dress codes at key events, it is unlikely that they will adopt a more casual approach when it comes to their clothing. Although Kate Middleton is not a regular attendee at the Cheltenham Festival, she always, as expected, looks incredibly elegant. 

Kate Middleton was first publicly seen at the festival in 2007 when she first started dating Prince William. She did not attend again until 2013 when she wore a salmon pink Joseph coat. Pippa Middleton was also at the festival that year and wore a bright yellow Katherine Hooker coat. 

Zara Tindall who competed on the British Olympic equestrian team,  is a regular royal attendee at the Cheltenham Festival and tends to opt for bold coats and hats to match. In 2022, for the last day at the festival, she wore a burgundy coat by The Pretty Dress Company. 

Although the outfit is of course of importance at the races, historically, the hat (particularly when it comes to the royals) is what completes the look. In recent years, Zara has opted for bold colours when it comes to her headwear. 

For Ascot 2022, Zara may have opted for a more muted outfit in terms of the colour (it was a cream Laura Green coat dress), but she chose a bold green and pink boater hat by Justine Bradley-Hill.

Back in 2020 for Cheltenham, she reportedly wore a £2900 checked coat by Laura Green that she teamed with a hat by Juliette Botterill Millinery. 

It will be interesting to see if Camilla, Queen Consort and King Charles attend the Cheltenham Festival this year.

Camilla had to pull out of last year’s event as she was still recovering from Covid. In 2020, she wore a white polka dot dress that she had worn the year before. 

One likely fashion label that many well-known faces are likely to be wearing at the Cheltenham Festival is Holland Cooper, a brand that is worn by Kate Middleton and Gemma Owen. Jade Holland Cooper of Holland Cooper told Tatler magazine that Cheltenham is the “Glastonbury of the races.” When it comes to dressing for the event, Jade told Tatler to  “go for that statement coat. You know, it's all about the coat.”