The Duchess of Edinburgh cut an elegant figure on the second day of Royal Ascot on Wednesday, and the royal was joined by both the Duke of Edinburgh and her father, Christopher Rhys-Jones.
The 94-year-old, who will be turning 95 on Friday, enjoyed an early birthday treat as he headed to the races with his daughter and son-in-law. Christopher was seen standing with Prince Edward, with the pair both wearing smart suits. Sophie was near the pair, and she looked gorgeous in a black dress.
Fans loved the rare glimpse of Sophie's father, as one said: "Good that he is still going strong," while a second added: "Wow, 94 and looking great," and a third posted: "What a very smartly dressed man! Love the stripes."
Sophie's father regularly joins the royal family at Ascot, and he was last seen at the racing event in 2025, where, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, he was seen mingling with Princess Anne and her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
© Getty ImagesBack in 2014, Christopher received an incredible honour, when he was selected to join the carriage procession. He was joined by the then Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall, alongside Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the fifth son of the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
He has also been seen joining his family at the Cheltenham Races and Royal Windsor Horse Show, and he was in the crowd to cheer on the Duchess as she concluded her Diamond Challenge, which saw her cycle from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace.
© Getty ImagesSophie and Christopher's bond
Christopher, who is a retired sales director, has a close bond with his daughter, with their relationship strengthening even further following the death of her mother, Mary Rhys-Jones in 2005 from stomach cancer.
However, despite their close bond, Christopher was very shocked when he learnt that Sophie was dating the late Queen's youngest son. In the book, Sophie: Saving the Royal Family, royal author Sean Smith said: "When Sophie dropped the bombshell that she was going out with Prince Edward, her father memorably remarked, 'It was the first time in my life that I needed a gin and tonic before ten o'clock'."
Speaking about her late mother in 2021, Sophie said: "To this day, I miss her very much and there are moments where I hear some music she loved or I do something I know she'd have wanted to hear about, which makes her early departure very hard.
"She has missed out on so much, and I'm particularly sad that she hasn't seen my children grow up or seen how my work has grown and developed."
