Topless brawler tears through Royal Ascot crowd screaming 'let's finish it off!'

Royal Ascot. British summer time at its most elegant and refined. At its most quintessentially British, if you will.

The annual horse racing event has been meeting in Berkshire since 1711 and is a favourite day out for Queen Elizabeth II, who was in attendance yesterday (22 June).

Also in attendance was an unnamed man filmed charging across one of the enclosures with his shirt off, swinging punches left, right and centre.

Footage of the spectale opens with a number of men and women brawling in the middle distance.

It is hard to discern exactly what has happened. A man near the camera moves towards the affray while his girlfriend holds him back, he then says: "Tom's there Joey, leave off".

We may never know who "Tom" is.

In any case, the clip really comes into its own at around the 30-second mark when a burly man, wearing formal trouser but no shirt, charges across the lawn, arms raised in an orthodox boxing stance.

He jabs and feints as he skips towards clusters of terrified punters who, wisely, do their best to get out the way.

"Let's finish it off," he says, in a south east of England accent.

Another video, appears to shows the aftermath of the man's frenetic charge: his pugilistic energy has permeated the crowd, many of whom are now fighting themselves. A woman dressed in fine silks has been floored.

The Royal Ascot website describes the five day celebrations as "a spectacle of fashion and style," adding: "Each year the meeting is broadcast to audiences around the globe, yet to experience it in person is something altogether more special."