The Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot

Why it is on the list

Royal Ascot has four enclosures, three of them open to the public; the Royal Enclosure is the one with limited entry.¹ A first-time applicant needs a sponsor who has attended it for at least four years, and members are invited each year by His Majesty's Representative to request badges.¹ George IV commissioned the first Royal Enclosure, with a royal box, in 1822, and each of the five days opens at 2pm with the Royal Procession of carriages down the straight mile.¹

It is the wrong choice for this coming June without a sponsor already in place: entry turns on a member of four years' standing, and badges go on sale in January.^{1 2} For a formal summer day outside London, take the Festival at Glyndebourne.

How to get it

Apply to the Royal Enclosure Office through the new member application on the racecourse's Royal Enclosure page, with your sponsor named; there is a separate application for young members.^{2 1} The office answers on royal.enclosure@ascot.com and 0344 346 3616.² Membership carries an annual fee of £25.³ Once a member, book badges when sales open in January; the members' restaurants and other pre-booked experiences open at the same time and are subject to change.² Royal Ascot 2027 runs from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 June.²

A badge is hand-written and can be worn only by the person named on it, so it cannot be passed to someone else.¹ Men wear grey, navy or black morning dress with a top hat; women wear formal daywear with a hat on a solid base at least 4 inches in diameter.¹

Discretion

Entry is by badge alone: each is written by hand for one named member, and the badge colour changes for each day of the meeting.¹ The dress code is enforced strictly.¹