Race week at Britain's Royal Enclosure celebrates three centuries of hoofs and headwear.

Los Angeles Times fashion columnist Susan Denley says Britain's recent royal wedding "has me dreaming of hats". So she and other hatshionistas were reveling last week as the Royal Ascot races opened in southern England. Forget what the oddsmakers say about the horses: The winners, as usual, were the high-spirited confections perched on the heads of ladies of the realm. "Hats,- Denley effused, "are a part of the 300-year-old tradition here - but never in a stuffy way!" Eighty-five-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, who has been to every Ascot meeting since 1945, led the royal family in their traditional circuit around the course.

Britain's Express newspapers declared her "a clear winner" in the fashion stakes.

"The crowds applauded when she arrived in a carriage procession, wearing a pale green Karl Ludwig wool coat and matching Angela Kelly hat," the Express website said. "Also in her party was Saudi horse owner Prince Khalid Abdullah."

Members of the British royal family were out in force at the sun-drenched racecourse as punters celebrated its 300th racing anniversary.

In addition to the queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince Andrew and his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, were all reveling in a superb first day's racing at the five-day meeting.

Unbeaten colt Frankel followed up his 2,000 Guineas success by winning the St. James's Palace Stakes on the opening day Tuesday.

Tom Queally rode the 30-100 favorite to victory. The queen had awarded trainer Henry Cecil a knighthood on Saturday.

Camilla had fashionistas chattering because she "recycled" the outfit she wore to Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton in April.

Meanwhile, after the controversy over her choice of outlandish Philip Treacy headgear for the wedding, Beatrice, 22, wore a much more restrained fawn-colored wide-brimmed hat to match her nude dress beneath a black jacket.

Eugenie, 21, opted for an emerald green hat to match her lace dress by Issa.

While hats generally lived up to their outlandish reputation for Ascot, dresses were less adventuresome. The Telegraph reported that women faced being turned away from the Royal Enclosure on race day if they wore off-the-shoulder or strapless tops.

Race chiefs were celebrating a 43,354 crowd for the first day, up 10 per cent on last year.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the new Duchess of Cambridge, were "otherwise engaged", Buckingham Palace said. A spokesman noted that the duchess' first military duty as a working royal will be to meet the families of three British soldiers killed in Afghanistan on June 25.

China Daily - Associated Press