1. The ‘Black Royal Ascots: Queen Victoria died aged 81 on January 22, 1901, bringing her then record 63-year reign to a close. As the nation mourned, Royal Ascot that year was held in a sombre mood with the Royal Stand closed and the racecard featuring a black border. Dressing in black was also the order of the day, although it was recorded in The Times that by the Thursday, when the Gold Cup was run, “a number of ladies who were in black on the first two days had assumed a more modified form of mourning, as there were many dresses of white, lavender and mauve, although not enough to impart any colour to the scene”. The new monarch, King Edward VII, was also absent from the Royal Meeting in 1901, although this was on account of his own illness. His extreme discomfort turned out to be an appendicitis and also resulted in his Coronation, scheduled for a fortnight after Royal Ascot, to be postponed. Edward, a great devotee of the turf, died on May 6, 1910 at the age of 68. Royal Ascot again saw an overwhelming dominance of black attire, with the Daily Mirror recording “strange and striking were the contrasts at Ascot. The most splendid fete of the year usually had now its dominant note in mourning. No member of royalty was present, the King’s pavilion had drawn blinds and closed doors, and the occupants of the Royal Enclosure were in black, unrelieved save where ladies wore white flowers or had strings of pearls as the only ornament”.
Gulf News Archives