Princess Anne’s Carriage Suffers Mishap at Royal Ascot, Forcing a Delay of Proceedings

Well, not every carriage procession can be perfect, right?

The Gist

• During day one of Royal Ascot, Princess Anne took part in the carriage procession on June 17.
• The Princess Royal, along with three others including Queen Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot, rode in the second carriage, just behind King Charles and the Queen.
• Anne’s carriage suffered a mishap that caused the procession—celebrating its 200th year this year—to experience a minor delay.

The royals are off to the races—literally, as in the Royal Ascot horseraces—but not without a slight bump in the road.

June 17 kicked off day one at Royal Ascot, and King Charles and Queen Camilla led the carriage procession today (as they are set to all week—the King is making an unprecedented move and planning to take in all five days of the iconic British summer event). While the King and Queen were in the first carriage, Princess Anne—along with the Duke and Duchess of Wellington and Annabel Elliot, the Queen’s sister—rode in the second.

According to GB News, the Princess Royal’s carriage broke down, delaying the King’s procession by about five minutes, the outlet reported.

“The Royal Grooms sprang into action to fix the harness, and after a delay of a few minutes, the carriage was back in action on its way to Ascot,” a source told the outlet.

Sweetly, it should be noted that, according to GB News, the King stopped to wait for his sister’s carriage before proceeding.

Speaking of Princess Anne, her son Peter Phillips marked a milestone today with his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling, who rode in the third carriage with him on Tuesday. This was a big milestone for Sperling, as she made her carriage debut this year; she first appeared publicly with Phillips in May 2024.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice, and Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall were also at day one of Ascot, though none of them participated in the carriage procession, which only has four carriages taking part.

Royal Ascot is steeped in tradition and was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne; the British royal family has been associated with the event ever since, with much interest put into who rides in the four-carriage procession each day. Later this week, ahead of his 43rd birthday on June 21, Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to attend Ascot and take in the races and vibrant see-and-be-seen culture. The procession at Ascot is celebrating its milestone 200th year this year.