Sir Lewis, 37, is hoping to take a record nine Silverstone wins at the British Grand Prix on Sunday. The Mercedes driver can also break a record he owns: the most podiums in one location. The seven-time champion is currently tied with Michael Schumacher at 12, but could make the 13 with a top three finish. Hamilton was fifth fastest in the third practice session on Saturday, while Max Verstappen was first.
Hamilton’s massive celebrity profile means he’s rubbed shoulders with an array of famous faces over the years off the track.
Among them is Her Majesty the Queen, who once met the Mercedes driver over a private lunch the year after he was awarded an MBE.
Hamilton, who was also knighted by her son Prince Charles in December 2021, fiddled with royal protocol when he sat next to the monarch in 2010.
He was asked about his embarrassing encounter with the Queen on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ in 2015.
When asked by Mr Norton whether Her Majesty knew anything about Formula 1, Hamilton replied: “She really did.
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“When she talked to me there, she said, ‘We’re looking at you.'”
He continued: “But the best part is that a year later I was invited back for lunch with a group.
“We were about eight and I showed up after the Brazilian Grand Prix, came back and walked in.
“I saw the map and I was sitting right next to her, and I was a little excited. I was like, ‘This is cool.’
“So I sat down, and she was on my right, and I started talking to her.
Ingrid Seward, biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, explained Her Majesty and the late Prince Philip’s dining etiquette in her 2017 book, My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage.
She wrote: “The Queen always chooses who she wants to sit next to.
“And this main male guest will be on her right, while Prince Philip will have the most interesting female guest on his right.
“Surprisingly, in these scenarios she is not at the head of the table, but in the middle, facing Prince Philip.
“During the first and second pass, the queen talks to the person to her right.
“While the pudding and cheeses are being eaten, she will automatically turn and talk to the guest to her left.”