Holly Willoughby leads fashion squad at Royal Ascot as revellers dazzle in eye-popping hats and fancy frocks

EYE-catching hats, fancy dresses and towering heels.

Royal Ascot is back and glamorous racegoers are pulling out all the stops with their outfits.

Holly Willoughby led the fashion pack in a pretty pink dress, as she arrived at the Berkshire racecourse for the second day of racing in the sunshine.

Not only is Royal Ascot one of the highlights of the sporting calendar - but it is also a social occasion and a chance to dress to impress.

Thousands of guests put on their best summer dresses and flamboyant hats, while others sported top hats and tails or three-piece suits.

They have all gathered to cheer on some of the best horses and jockeys from around the world.

Royal Ascot was held behind closed doors in 2020, and last year limited racegoers were admitted after it was selected to take part in a Covid event research programme.

Approximately 400 helicopters and 1,000 limousines will descend on Royal Ascot with an average of 60,000 racegoers each day.

And once guests are there, they will indulge in fine dining curated by 350 chefs serving 35,000 spears of English asparagus, more than 10,000 steaks, 8,000 Cornish crabs, 7,000 rumps of English lamb, 5,000kg of salmon and 3,500 fresh lobsters throughout the week. 

On top of this, the Royal Meeting will also serve more than a quarter of a million finger sandwiches, 240,000 hand-crafted cakes, 120,000 buttermilk scones, 110,000 cups of tea, 7,000 punnets of mixed berries and 1,200kg of Cornish clotted cream.