The Princess of Wales decided to skip a planned public appearance at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. Catherine was supposed to be part of the carriage procession alongside her husband William, the Prince of Wales, and the King and Queen. Her absence led to a last-minute change in the carriage lineup.

Initially, the Prince and Princess of Wales were set to ride in the second carriage with golfer Justin Rose and his wife. According to the BBC, the Princess expressed her disappointment at missing the event. Despite Catherine's absence, William still participated in the royal procession and awarded prizes to the connections of Ombudsman after the Prince of Wales's Stakes. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the procession at Royal Ascot.

Catherine was last seen in public on Monday during the Order of the Garter service in Windsor. She has been gradually returning to public life after her cancer diagnosis last year. Notably, she did not attend the royal meeting last year and announced in January that she is in remission from cancer.

On Wednesday, there will be more royal presence on the track as Rainbows Edge competes in the Kensington Palace Stakes in the afternoon for the King and Queen. Despite a disappointing performance on Tuesday with Reaching High finishing ninth in the Ascot Stakes, the royal couple also have Purple Rainbow set to run on Friday. Additionally, Reaching High may make a quick turnaround to compete in Saturday's Queen Alexandra Stakes, the final race of Royal Ascot.

Bookmakers react to day one with a $500,000 bet request being the talk of the ring, as everyone at Royal Ascot gets their moment of fame, including the truly famous who manage to sneak in through a side door.