Reason King Charles 'won't make change to his Royal Ascot outfit' despite UK heatwave
The king will not remove his jacket in order to preserve tradition
The UK heatwave hasn’t stopped King Charles from enjoying Royal Ascot so far this week, as he kept his formalwear on throughout the day.
As temperatures soar during the UK’s first summer heatwave of the year, many racegoers at Royal Ascot – an annual horse racing event – have been spotted fanning themselves, sipping water and seeking shade.
But King Charles, 76, has remained immaculately dressed in his traditional morning suit.
According to his former butler, there’s a very specific reason why he won’t be making any changes to his formal look, no matter how hot it gets.
King Charles at Royal Ascot
Speaking exclusively to BoyleSports, former royal butler Grant Harrold explained why the monarch and his family are unlikely to break tradition, even during a heatwave.
“The rules on the dress code are Ascot’s, not the king’s,” Harrold clarified.
But that doesn’t mean that Ascot are ready to enforce those rules. “If the king took his hat or his jacket, what would they do? I guarantee you, Ascot are not going to ban him, because Royal Ascot needs the royals,” Harrold said.
“But the king won’t remove his jacket. This is the double-edged sword. He follows rules and traditions, and protocols literally by the book. So if it states that he has to keep his morning jacket on, it doesn’t matter how hot it gets, he will keep that jacket on.”
Though some may assume that the monarch has the freedom to set or bend the rules, Harrold emphasised the symbolic nature of royal behaviour at public events.
“If he did remove it, then it would create a new etiquette that would rewrite the rules,” he said. “It was done before by Edward VII when he couldn’t do up the bottom button of his waistcoat. And after that, it became etiquette for everyone not to do that button-up.”
In other words, even small acts of comfort, like loosening a collar or removing a jacket, are avoided to preserve tradition.
Royal Ascot 2025
Despite the challenging heat, members of the royal family are prepared behind the scenes.
Harrold shared that royals do travel with water and fans, but would never be seen using them in public.
He follows rules and traditions, and protocols literally by the book.
“I can guarantee you, yes, there will be bottles of water in there out of sight. But they won’t drink from them when any of the journey is being made in public,” he revealed.
And what about those discreet electric fans?
The butler said: “Camilla will have one of those fans. She’s somebody who would have one of those things if she could. But when they are in view, never in a million years would she use it and let the media see it.”
Who was in the Royal Procession at Ascot?
On June 19, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the third day of Royal Ascot’s iconic carriage procession.
They were joined by Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, who shared a carriage with Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Another carriage followed with Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Meanwhile, Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall completed the fourth carriage.
Notably absent was the Princess of Wales, who was expected to attend on June 18 but withdrew from the event as she continues to manage her public schedule amid her cancer recovery. Prince William made a solo appearance at the races.
While the royals remained composed under layers of formalwear, relief was in sight once they reached the air-conditioned Royal Box.
“The Royal Box is air conditioned, so they’re all comfortable,” said Harrold. “It’s not really a problem for them when they are on the course. Other than when they go out onto the terrace.”
For spectators below, however, conditions were far less forgiving.
With temperatures climbing above 30°C, Royal Ascot organisers distributed free water and provided additional shaded areas with gazebos and parasols.
Read more: Royal Ascot: King Charles’ loving gesture towards Queen Camilla caught on camera
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