Shaikh Mohammad attends Royal Ascot

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, accompanied Queen Elizabeth, in the first carriage of the Royal Procession at Royal Ascot on Thursday.

Also seated in the horse-driven carriage was Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew the Duke Of York

Royal Ascot is steeping in tradition and pageantry.

The five-day meeting commences each day with the Royal Procession – the arrival of the Quen and the Royal party in horse-drawn landaus escorted by smartly attired out-riders.

The parade, which dates back to the 1820s, takes place along the main race track in front of the thousands of race-goers.

Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, Shaikh Mohammad's wife, was in the second carriage, along with Queen Anne, the Henry Hasting, Earl of Huntingdon and Mr. John Warren.

Shaikh Mohammad is the founder and driving force behind the Godolphin stable who also enjoyed their first success at this year's Royal meeting when Flying Cloud scored an impressive victory in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes for three year old fillies.

Flying Cloud was formerly trained in France and was making her first appearance for Godolphin.

She also supplied the stable with their fourth win in the Ribblesdale, a race that was first run in 1919.