Most of these diversions are frowned upon nowadays (and freak shows are reserved for U.S. presidential debates), but British royalty, aristocracy, influencers, and interlopers like me descend on the Ascot Racecourse every June for the premier social event of the season, Royal Ascot. Some £17.5 million of prize money is doled out to thoroughbreds across five days of races. But that’s only the start of the big business that is Royal Ascot – it’s estimated that about £150 million is bet on the races each year. At Ascot, bookies set up beside the finish line, broadcasting their odds for each race with bright lights and louder shouts, recreating what I imagine the New York Stock Exchange must’ve felt like in The Wolf of Wall Street days, just with a few more top hats.Â
Each day begins with the Royal Procession at 2 PM sharp;Â Queen Camilla and Prince William led the procession on the sunny day I attended.Â