Saturday was my last day as the Face of Ascot. While I was sad to give up my title, I was excited to meet the new contenders for the Face of Ascot modeling competition. I woke up early, put on one of my Royal Ascot outfits, and grabbed my bag. I was ready to go to Ascot Racecourse.
New Face of Ascot
After attending Royal Ascot earlier in the week, my boyfriend, my mother, and I had a bit of a sense of deja vu as we pulled up to the hat shop in Surrey.
Once again I got fitted for my hat, which was a beautiful black-and-white creation with feathers.
Once again I knew my hat-donning abilities (or lack thereof) were such that I shouldn’t take the hat off for the ride to Royal Ascot. Once again I reclined my seat all the way back and rode to the racecourse as if I were taking a nap.
Face of Ascot Modeling Competition
We arrived at Royal Ascot and went straight up to the room where the Face of Ascot contestants were gathered. This year there were only three finalists instead of five, which made things a bit more manageable than last year.
I made the rounds to talk to each of them and got a bit of time to catch up with the judges from last year, some of whom I hadn’t seen since I was chosen as the Face of Ascot.
After meeting the girls, I ran down to the Parade Ring for a quick TV interview for Ascot TV, then went up to a box in the grandstand that had been reserved for the contestants.
It was a different setup from last year, when we had a table at a restaurant, but it gave us more of a chance to talk and get to know one another.
After a glass of water, we all went down to the BBC catwalk to rehearse for the live announcement of the winner of the competition.
As with Tuesday, my hat was the center of attention. On my way to the catwalk a photographer for the Racing Post asked if he could do a photo shoot in his “studio” by the grandstand. I said yes. Of course.
After several photos and the writing down of my name and details, I caught up with the group for the BBC rehearsal. We did a run-through or two and then headed back up to the box for lunch.
For some reason my shoes, which were already a size too big for me, were giving me more trouble that day than on Tuesday. I lagged behind the rest of the group as we walked, trying desperately to keep my heels from falling off my feet.
The one benefit of being a straggler was that I was walking slowly enough that people around me could get a good look at my face.
One such person came up and asked me if I was the Face of Ascot. He had seen my picture around during the week and recognized me as I walked by. I had a fan!
Back at the box I had some food, then went back down to the grounds to meet a friend and watch the Royal Procession, which I had unfortunately missed on Tuesday.
We got a good viewing space by the Parade Ring and ran into another friend just as the royals were approaching.
After getting my fill of royalty, I headed back up to the box to find that I had missed lunch. I filled up on dessert instead, and enjoyed two slices of passion-fruit tart and several chocolates. My chocoholic mother was proud.
We all headed back to the catwalk for the BBC spot at 3pm. Like last year, a big crowd gathered around to watch. I stood with the BBC presenters and the head of Models 1 as the girls walked out onto the catwalk.
Seeing them all so nervous took me back to last year when I was in their place. I didn’t envy them!
We announced the winner, Callie Moore, and I handed her an enormous bouquet. I watched as she was interviewed by the BBC correspondent and felt a tiny pang of sadness at having handed over my title. Sigh.
After the cameras finished, there were congratulations and consolations all around, and we went back up to the box to watch more of the horse races.
My boyfriend and I spent the afternoon wandering from the box to the grounds to meet up with friends, taking our turn in the Parade Ring to watch the horses circle around.
We saw the races, placed some bets, and enjoyed the champagne that finally showed up in the box.
At the end of the day we headed down to the bandstand area to sing the traditional post-racing songs. A wave of drunken punters seethed around us, but we managed to find our friends and remain unscathed from the debauchery.
Watching the Union Jacks waving all around us struck me as an odd show of patriotism for a usually stoic country. Maybe it was the champagne that brought it out.
Before I left, the PR manager from Ascot Racecourse who’s been my contact all year called me and asked me to meet her by her office. When I arrived, she had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for me.
“You went in last year with flowers, so you should go out with them too,” she told me. It was so sweet of her, and completely made my day.
She also reminded me that I was always welcome back at the racecourse, a kind gesture that I plan to take her up on!
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