PRINCE HARRY and Meghan Markle are set to join The Queen and thousands of racegoers for the start of Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

The event is regularly attended by the Queen and this year will be the first time that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to join her in the royal box this week at the Berkshire race course.

A carriage procession, with the Queen at its head, signals the start of each day of the event, and Harry and Meghan will be part of the spectacle.

Royal Ascot is renowned for its strict dress code and this year men must wear socks or risk being turned away from the famous race meet which is one of the highlights of the social calendar.

With the UK having enjoyed good weather in the past few months the fashion for wearing shoes without socks may have crept into Royal Ascot.

The Royal Ascot arbiters of style aim to put a stop to the practice but anyone caught out can now visit the William Hill branch in Ascot which has 500 branded pairs of socks available.