Royal Ascot, One of Queen Elizabeth's Favorite Events, Will Be Closed to the Public This Year
Every June, the Royal Ascot is a highlight of the British social calendar. The week of horse racing and over-the-top hats is even said to the Queen's favorite event of the year; she always attends, arriving at the track in a carriage procession, seated alongside friends, family, and special guests. But in 2020, the races won't go on as planned, due to the coronavirus crisis.
Ascot Racecourse's Chief Executive Guy Henderson released a statement on April 7 confirming that this year's event, which was slated to take place June 16-June 20, will not be open to the public—if the races even run at all. The decision is the result of heath and safety measures in effect due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"This will of course be a great disappointment for everyone planning to attend," reads the statement. Henderson also confirms that everyone who had already bought tickets will be refunded in full.
The United Kingdom has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, which is why plans for a crowded event like Royal Ascot need to be altered. As of April 7, 55,242 people in the UK have tested positive for the virus and 6,159 have sadly died.
Read Henderson's full statement, which closes with a message of gratitude for NHS workers, below:
For public health and safety reasons we have reached the difficult but unavoidable conclusion that Royal Ascot 2020 (Tuesday 16th - Saturday 20th June) will not be able to take place as an event open to the public. This will of course be a great disappointment for everyone planning to attend.
It may prove possible to run the Royal Ascot races behind closed doors, dependent on Government and public health policy and the approval of the BHA for us to re-start racing. This would be for the benefit of the industry, our valued partners and suppliers and our television audiences at home and internationally. Planning for this is now our complete focus and we will update on progress as and when we can.
Customers who have already paid for entry and hospitality at Royal Ascot will be refunded in full in the usual way as quickly as possible and we will start the process of communicating with them, initially by email, immediately. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding in completing this substantial task given the challenging practical circumstances of the current national lockdown.
The pandemic will have a significant financial impact on our business in 2020, along with so many others. Nevertheless, Ascot racecourse will come through this crisis and we look forward to being able to welcome racegoers back when it is safe to do so.
Meanwhile, our thoughts are with all those grieving and suffering as a result of COVID-19. We offer heartfelt thanks to our wonderful NHS staff, key workers and volunteers for all their selfless dedication.
Guy Henderson
Chief Executive
Ascot Racecourse
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