AS Royal Ascot came to the White Rose county of Yorkshire yesterday, the question was whether the Queen might have been having a little joke.

The Queen, resplendent in pink, was wearing a Red Rose of Lancaster brooch on the first day of the meeting at York racecourse.

One punter said: "The Queen looked lovely and was obviously enjoying being in the North. But she was wearing the red rose of Lancashire instead of the white rose of Yorkshire, which raised a couple of eyebrows."

The white rose has been the symbol of Yorkshire and the red rose the symbol of Lancashire since the 15th Century wars of the roses.

Despite her fashion faux pas, The Queen, whose titles include the Duke of Lancaster, helped brighten a gloomy day on the Knavesmire.

The weather could have been better - but the first day of Royal Ascot at York was still a triumph.

The Queen led the open-top carriages in the Royal procession with the Duke of Edinburgh at her side and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall following.

The royal meeting has temporarily moved to York while a £185m redevelopment programme is completed at its usual Berkshire home.

And with the event expected to boost the local economy by something in the region of £60m, York is taking full advantage of the move.

Almost 36,000 people visited yesterday and regional development agency Yorkshire Forward claims the final figure for the whole five-day meeting should be close to 300,000.

Let party commence - Page 5

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