I hope you’re enjoying your summer, wherever you are.
It’s been a while since I last updated our Latest News. Well, this is what we’ve been up to in June at the fabulous Royal Ascot.
At Talking Image, we run Royal Ascot Packages in June every year. We organise and assist guests to the Royal Enclosure, which is similar to the first class area when you fly. The package includes the Royal Enclosure badge for the guests, accommodating them throughout the day, organising the rental top hats and morning dresses (if required), providing style advice and assistance, invitation to the welcome dinner as well as travel arrangements to Ascot. An orientation online course is also included in the package to help you to familiarise yourselves with the history of Royal Ascot, dress code, what to expect during the two days and the various English protocols and so forth to ensure you feel comfortable, allowing you to thoroughly enjoy this very special experience.
Let me share with you a few snapshots of our two day experience this year.
These are the top hats and morning suits (if you are specific, they are formally called morning dresses) that we hired. There is a strict dress code for attending the Royal Enclosure so we need to select within the specified colour and pattern.
This year, we held our welcome dinner at Sky Garden.
It was a beautiful clear evening and we were able to see Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the Thames River and the rest of what London offers… from the sky.
Then after a good night’s sleep came the big day that we’ve been all waiting for; spending the day at the Royal Ascot.
We headed to the Royal Enclosure gate, where already there were journalists from around the world, including this cameraman from an American television station.
One of our guests participated in this beautiful kimono, the traditional Japanese costume, receiving overwhelming compliments from everyone, including the journalists. We also encountered these lovely ladies from Sweden, all dressed in their pretty national costume.
Everyone was well prepared for this special event, including these very young fashionistas!
While we waited for the Royal Procession, this gentleman in his cool sunglasses handed us a sheet that listed who were on each of the carriages that day.
Some of the jockeys were interviewed in the meantime and at 2pm on the dot, the royal carriages arrived.
I am told that the Queen has never missed a day at the Royal Ascot ever since her coronation. She always has a smile on her face and it is obvious that she loves this event and the horses. This year, our eyes met while she was waving at us so it was a very special moment for me too!
Before each race, we can view the horses and decide which ones to bet on. You can also just simply admire this beautiful creature.
Does this remind you of a scene from the musical “My Fair Lady”?
And the race is on. It’s very exciting, particularly when you can see which horses came in first, right in front of your eyes.
This year, there were displays of 
beautiful costumes within the Royal Enclosure area.
How you’d like to enjoy the day is really up to you; to enjoy the races, watch the horses, place a bet, cherish this Royal event, enjoy the social side, admire the beautiful lades and handsome gentlemen, indulge in the food and bubbles, experience the taste of British aristocracy, spot the celebrities, spend the day relaxing under the sun and garden or all of the above!
We wrapped up the day by joining the Bandstand. Whether you’ve won or not, everyone sang along to the tune, from “Hey Jude”, “New York, New York” to “God Save the Queen”. Even if you don’t know the lyrics, they will be displayed on a big board so there is nothing to worry about. Even if you’re not a good singer, no one is bothered because by then, everyone is in such a jolly mood!
I hope you can join us next year. I will let you know when all the details have been confirmed for Royal Ascot 2019 package. Watch this space!
If you’d like to enquire anything about this package, please contact Toshiko.