Prince William and his wife Kate made a surprise appearance on day four of Royal Ascot on Friday, leading the royal procession as temperatures soared across the UK.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, 40, chose a belted monochrome polka-dot dress by Alessandra Rich for the occasion, which she paired with a brown flat-brimmed fascinator, decorated with delicate white flowers. She completed the look with drop pearl earrings and neutral make-up.
Prince William kept to tradition, wearing a black top hat and tails as well as an ivory waistcoat and blue patterned tie.
The Duke and Duchess made their first appearance at the race series on Friday, joining other members of the royal family who have been present at the races since they began on Tuesday.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla have been in attendance, as well as Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Zara and Mike Tindall.
Queen Elizabeth II will not attend this year’s races, despite having two horses running, due to ongoing mobility issues.
On Tuesday, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, was in attendance. Wearing a sharp grey, shin-length morning coat with matching tie, top hat and darker grey trousers, Sheikh Hamdan shook hands with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as he received the trophy for Coroebus's win in the St James's Palace Stakes.
Royal Ascot is Britain's most valuable horse racing meet, and runs until Saturday. Thursday’s Ladies' Day is thought of as the most glamourous day, with guests dressing to the nines for the occasion.
Hats, fascinators and elaborate headgear galore sit atop fashionably dressed women who attend day three of Britain's most valuable horse racing meet.
It was referred to as Ladies' Day in 1823, after an anonymous poet described Thursday at the races as such, saying "when the women, like angels, look sweetly divine", or so the story goes.
Royal Ascot doesn't officially call it that, though. "Vibrant, celebratory and steeped in tradition, the third day of Royal Ascot, colloquially known as Ladies' Day, is a day to see and be seen," reads a description on its website.
On behalf of the royal family, Zara Tindall, the Princess Royal's daughter and a celebrated equestrian, wore a stylish full-brim green hat by Justine Bradley-Hill, along with a white, puffy sleeved coat dress by Laura Green.
Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, was also in attendance on Thursday, wearing full floral attire. Her ankle-length dress sported a V-shaped neckline and she paired it with a bright pink fascinator.
See pictures from Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot 2022
The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EHayao%20Miyazaki%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Soma%20Santoki%2C%20Masaki%20Suda%2C%20Ko%20Shibasaki%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
