How lunch with The Queen left Hamilton red-faced...

Nerves don't appear to affect Lewis Hamilton much when the four-time Formula 1 world champion is on the track, however meeting royalty has an altogether different impact on the Mercedes star. Hamilton has recalled how an invitation to luncheon with The Queen had a lasting impact on him.

Hamilton collected an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 shortly after his maiden world title triumph and subsequent summons to meet Her Majesty remain engrained on the grand-prix icon's memory.

One such visit had a particular impact on Hamilton, who recounted the baffling moment he discovered that he would not only be present at a meal with The Queen, but in fact sat right next to her.

Asked in a sponsor Q+A if meeting one person had left him speechless, Hamilton replied: "There's not one person there's been quite a few.

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"I sat next to The Queen at lunch at her house. I was like... 'is this really fricking happening?' sitting right here.

"That was just unbelievable. I couldn't believe I'd been invited.

"I arrived at the palace and they had a board showing your seating positions. I had to ask someone 'I think they've made a mistake with the seating positions because I'm sitting next to The Queen'.

"They said 'no, no it's right'."

Hamilton confirmed he had not received an invitation to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later this year.

However, a faux pas committed when sat next to The Queen at lunch perhaps explains why he has not been asked back...

Speaking to the BBC in 2015, he said: "I got invited to a lunch and was sitting next to The Queen.

"I was excited and started to talk to her but she said, pointing to my left: 'No, you speak that way first and I'll speak this way and then I'll come back to you.'

"She is a sweet woman and we talked about how she spends her weekends, houses and music. She is really cool."