King Charles' family parades in procession at key event

Royal Ascot, which is dubbed the jewel in the crown of the UK racing calendar, began on Tuesday. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla led a carriage procession along the course and past the stands that welcomed hundreds of thousands of punters during the five-day meet.

Princess Anne accompanied her son Peter Phillips and his girlfriend Harriet Sperling at Royal Ascot , marking a significant milestone for the couple.

The King and Queen led the ceremonial procession in the first carriage, accompanied by Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia's Royal Family and Lady Sarah Keswick, the Queen's closest companion.

It's a tradition that has reached its 200th anniversary this year after it was first held in 1825 during the reign of King George IV. 

The Royal Family's Instagram account shared a post showcasing historic pictures of late royal figures attending the event .

 It said, "Today is the start of Royal Ascot, five days of horse racing with royal links dating back to the 1700’s.

"Ascot Racecourse established its Royal connections back in 1711, when Queen Anne first saw its potential as an ideal place for “horses to gallop at full stretch.”

"What is now known as Royal Ascot started to take shape as ‘The Gold Cup’ in 1807, Ascot’s oldest surviving race."

"At 2pm, The Royal Family parade along the track in front of racegoers in carriages. The inaugural Royal Procession began in 1825 when King George IV led four other coaches with members of the Royal party up the Straight Mile."