Extravagant, elaborate and sometimes gravity-defying hats take center stage each summer at Royal Ascot, the five-day horse racing festival held at Ascot Racecourse in southern England, a venue founded by Queen Anne in 1711.

The carriages scarcely will have stopped rolling before the top-level action gets going Tuesday for five days at Royal Ascot in Berkshire, England.

Glamorous racegoers have pulled out all the sartorial stops as they arrived at Royal Ascot today to kick off the annual celebration in style.