Camilla wears Queen Elizabeth’s horse brooch at Cheltenham Festival

Queen Camilla was the leading lady at the races as she took up the reins as royal supporter and stepped out in style at the Cheltenham Festival.

Camilla wore a silver brooch depicting a horse and rider that belonged to her mother-in-law, the late Queen, as she took centre stage on Ladies Day.

And despite a relaxed dress code, she went for a smart look in a camel coat, matching suede boots and hat.

Queen Camilla, 75, has now taken over from Elizabeth II as the principal royal supporter of flat racing. But she was not the only royal at the Gloucestershire racecourse.

Zara Tindall was there too – and shared a kiss with her husband Mike. Meanwhile, football royalty was represented by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Jockey Club has eased restrictions on what people can wear to its courses but many ladies followed Camilla’s lead and got dressed up in fur-trimmed coats and brilliantly coloured headgear. One even wore a fascinator fashioned from pizza boxes.