Cheltenham has become one of the highlights of the British social calendar: a four-day racing festival set against the stunning backdrop of the edge of the Cotswolds , for many it’s an opportunity to dress to the nines - and do some serious celebrity spotting. The festival has always been a royal favourite and this year was no exception. The Queen graced the Royal Box on the Wednesday, the same day that Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank met up with Cheltenham stalwarts Zara and Mike Tindall.
And Zara, who is a director of the Gloucestershire racecourse, was joined by her mother, Princess Anne , on the Friday. But the place to be was the Holland Cooper box. Dressed in a single-breasted tweed blazer - I felt very Jade Holland Cooper, who is known for her elevated countryside looks - I arrived in the exclusive Hatton’s Grace box (accessible only by a tightly-guarded lift) at the same time as equestrienne Gemma Owen, just as top jockey Harry Cobden and racing pundit Megan Nicholls were dishing out their racing tips to a rapt audience.
With a glass of Moet champagne in hand, I caught up with HELLO! Favourite Jodie Kidd, looking fabulous in a three-piece suit. She and fiance Joseph Bates had come up from their West Sussex home, where her pub The Half Moon is gearing up for a busy summer, to stay with Jade and husband Julian Dunkerton at their sprawling Cotswolds home. “I’ve known Jade since she had a tiny stall at Olympia (the British showjumping competition) and.
