The Prince of Wales joined the King and Queen as the Royal Family turned out in force for the second day of Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

Looking relaxed and in his element, Prince William, 42, was pictured enjoying what appeared to be a Pimm’s after putting on an animated display while watching the races.

Arriving at the annual occasion, the father-of-three sat beside Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Saud, a member of the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia, and opposite Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, as they made their way to the Berkshire racecourse by carriage.

His appearance in the royal procession came after the Princess of Wales pulled out of attending the prestigious five-day meet at the last minute as she continues to ‘find the right balance’ following her battle with cancer.

Racegoers had been hoping to catch a glimpse of Kate as William was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during day two of the festival. 

Ascot officials had announced in a published list at 12pm that the Princess was due to be with William in the second carriage in the royal procession – which is marking its 200th anniversary this year.

But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending – and a revised carriage list was published by Ascot.

MailOnline understands the Princess was ‘disappointed’ not to be in attendance ‘but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements’.

However, Kate’s mother Carole Middleton did attend today – alongside her daughter-in-law Alizee Thevenet, the wife of Kate’s brother James Middleton. 

The 43-year-old Princess has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January that she was in remission from cancer.

But in the past week she has attended three high-profile events – Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London.

The King and Queen were joined at Wednesday’s event by Zara and Mike Tindall, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Charles also hosted Lady Sarah Chatto, the daughter of his late aunt Princess Margaret and a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II. She was joined on the fourth carriage with her artist husband, Daniel Chatto.

Despite her closeness to Her late Majesty, Lady Sarah is known for keeping a low profile, and while she’s attended Ascot in the past, she’s not regularly seen with the royal family, aside from a handful of key events.

The King and Queen, both fans of racing, were also joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 

Ascot, known as the jewel in the crown of the UK racing calendar, will welcome hundreds of thousands of punters during the five-day meet.

Yesterday, the King and Queen enjoyed a day at the races as they welcomed the girlfriend of the Princess Royal’s son to the royal fold.

Charles and Camilla hosted guests in the royal box on the first day of Royal Ascot including the monarch’s nephew Peter Phillips and his partner, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling.

She made an appearance for the first time in the carriage procession the royal family make onto the famous Berkshire racecourse to signal the start of the day.

The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, a tradition begun during the reign of George IV in 1825 when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington.

The King and Queen rode in the first carriage with Prince Faisal, a member of the Saudi royal family, and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen’s official companions.

Behind them travelled the Princess Royal with Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot and the Duke and Duchess of Wellington and they were followed by a coach carrying Anne’s son Peter Phillips and his girlfriend.

Other royals spotted among the crowds included Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah, Duchess of York and Zara and Mike Tindall.

The King and his wife have continued Queen Elizabeth II’s close association with the Berkshire race meet but they had no luck with the sport of Kings when their horse Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes.

The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign.

Charles and Camilla have taken on her stable of horses and enjoyed their first Royal Ascot winner in 2023 when their horse Desert Hero triumphed in the King George V Stakes. 

Today’s racing, meanwhile, will feature the The Prince of Wales’s Stakes as one of its highlights.

First run at Royal Ascot in 1862, the race, named after the son of Queen Victoria (later to become King Edward VII), is now worth £1million in prize money and is one of the features of the week.

Over £10 million in prize money is awarded to the winners and placed horses across the five days of the festival.

The minimum value for each race is £110,000 and every Group 1 contest will be rewarded with at least £650,000.

Kate was last seen on Monday, joking and laughing when she made a return to one of the highlights of the royal calendar – a service celebrating the Order of the Garter.

The princess, who missed last year’s event during the period of her cancer treatment, was in good spirits when she watched the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.

Kate was joined by the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the chapel’s Galilee porch, a traditional vantage point to see the spectacle.

The King and Queen followed convention and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order including the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh.