By LARA GOULD
Lady in red: Princess Eugenie stood out from the crowd in a £980 Alexander McQueen dress as she arrived at Royal Ascot in Berkshire today
Her respectful curtsey would have been enough to pass her off as a normal racegoer welcoming the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Royal Ascot yesterday.
But Princess Eugenie couldn’t help but reveal her Royal status by giving her grandparents a shy wave as they passed in their horse-drawn carriage.
The 21-year-old Princess, wearing a low-cut scarlet dress accessorised with a navy blue hat with a net veil and navy blue stilettos, gave a deep bow as the procession arrived at the Royal Enclosure.
Svelte: The 21-year-old star looked stunning in the red dress, which she teamed with a navy blue fascinator and matching heels
Careful! Eugenie struggled to balance in her sky-high heels as she made her way into Ascot
But as she looked up, the Princess, the youngest daughter of the Duke of York and his former wife Sarah Ferguson, appeared to have caught the Queen’s eye, which led her to smile at her grandmother.
Eugenie, an English, politics and history of art student at Newcastle University, was accompanied by her waiter boyfriend Jack Brooksbank.
Having a chat: Eugenie appeared to be in good spirits as she chatted to people in the winners' enclosure
Looking good: Eugenie looked unusually stylish in the fire-engine red number
He removed his top hat and bowed at the Royal party as their coach went past.
The Queen was wearing a powder-blue coat dress and matching hat with white gloves on the last day of the meeting at the Berkshire racecourse.
Later it was Eugenie’s turn for duty as she presented a cup to the owners of Maybe, which won the Chesham Stakes, the first race of the day.
Afterwards the Princess, whose figure-hugging dress showcased her shapely figure, retired to the stands to watch the rest of the day’s action.
Luckily she dodged the afternoon’s heavy downpours that threatened to turn the day into a washout.
Fashion parade: Eugenie started Ascot in a pretty turquoise dress before going for something more demure on day four of the races as she arrived in polka dots
Style disaster: Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice attracted a lot of criticism for the outfits they chose for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in April
Racegoers were forced to wear bright blue plastic galoshes over their shoes to protect them from the rain and mud, while others improvised with plastic bags as the strict rules for the Royal Enclosure were relaxed to allow any type of footwear.
But protected in the stands, Eugenie proved that she had inherited a love of horse racing from the Queen and her great-grandmother, the late Queen Mother.
During the afternoon, the Princess, who was in the Royal carriage procession on Tuesday, the first day of the meeting, could be seen checking a form book and cheering on her selections.
Grand entrance: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, made their entrance during one of the rare sunny moments during the day
Congratulations: The queen presents the trophy to the winning jockey of Society Rock, Pat Cosgrave, after victory in the Golden Jubilee Stakes
Eugenie took a break from the excitement to whisper intimately into the ear of her boyfriend.
She has been dating the 24-year-old, a former pupil at £27,000-a-year Stowe public school, since last February.
The Royal Family weren’t the only ones enjoying the Ascot hospitality yesterday.
Sheltering from the rain: Cilla Black and Sir Cliff Richard sheltered under a huge umbrella as they made their way into Ascot
Celebrities who flocked to the final day of the festival, which celebrated its 300th anniversary this year, included actor Martin Clunes, 49, and singer Sir Cliff Richard, 70.
They were joined by Cilla Black, 68, wearing a mustard-coloured dress and matching jacket topped off with a wide-brimmed brown hat.
While many tried to make the best of the situation by hiding under umbrellas, some of the most fashion-conscious women even opted for blue covers to wear on their feet to ensure their shoes remained dry.
Having fun, ladies? A group of women try to make the best of the situation as they sit under their umbrellas
Save my shoes! A group of particularly fashion-conscious women wear blue covers on their shoes to keep them dry
source: dailymail