Back in pole position (Her Majesty, that is!)
SHE may not yet be up to full speed, but the Queen got a busy royal day off to a racing start yesterday.
The 95-year-old monarch, still on light duties following a health scare in October, welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor Castle.
Wearing a pale blue dress, pearls and a sapphire brooch, the Queen smiled as she shook hands with the Middle Eastern ruler.
She is still to decide whether to go ahead with her traditional festive family lunch on Tuesday before she travels to Sandringham for her first Christmas since the death of Prince Philip.
In another part of Windsor Castle yesterday, racing driver Lewis Hamilton saw his chequered week take a sharp turn for the better.
Three days after he controversially lost out on a record eighth world Formula One title, he received his knighthood from Prince Charles.
Sir Lewis, 36, was joined by his mother Carmen Lockhart at the investiture ceremony. Afterwards they posed for pictures but unlike other honours recipients the F1 star declined to speak to reporters, simply saying ‘thank you’ when congratulated on his award.
Despite being one of the UK’s most successful sportsmen, Sir Lewis – twice voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year – had been overlooked until he was recognised in the New Year Honours list nearly a year ago, reportedly due to his tax affairs. His knighthood was included on the Diplomatic and Overseas List as the Hertfordshire-born driver now lives in Monaco and has not resided permanently in the UK since 2007.
The sport’s sole black driver, with a fortune estimated at £260million, he has become a significant public voice on racism issues.
On Sunday he seemed destined to retain his F1 title, only to be overtaken by rival Max Verstappen on the final lap after a controversial ruling by race authorities in Abu Dhabi. While Charles was conferring awards at Windsor, his wife the Duchess of Cornwall was at Clarence House playing host to children who are seriously or terminally ill.
Camilla, 74, invited ten youngsters from Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity to help decorate her Christmas tree, eat sausages and mash and enjoy a performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards.
The duchess is patron of both organisations. Her equerry Captain Edward Andersen used his sword to place decorations on the tree. He also let children try on his Welsh Guards’ bearskin. Camilla asked one: ‘Is that quite heavy?’
‘Is that quite heavy?’