Wave goodbye to the rain! The deluge FINALLY stops as the Queen arrives at Ascot with Philip and Harry after thousands of soaked racegoers faced torrential downpours

The Queen was in high spirits this afternoon as she arrived for the first day of Royal Ascot. 


Her Majesty waved to the crowds alongside her husband the Duke of Edinburgh - as the torrential rain that soaked the grounds, forcing female racegoers to be carried over huge puddles (inset) finally came to an end. Prince Harry (inset) looked as dapper as ever, while Princess Beatrice (right) and Zara Tindall (left) chose varying shades of blue for the grand event at Berkshire racecourse. Around 400 helicopters and 600 limos are expected to transport the most glamorous guests to the racecourse over the next five days, with VIP revellers making their way through the equivalent of 478 bathtubs of champagne - 51,000 bottles, while punters will drink around 160,000 glasses of Pimm's.