"You've come a long way": When Lewis Hamilton shared what King Charles told him during his knighthood

Sir Lewis Hamilton received the honor of knighthood in 2021 from King Charles of the United Kingdom. The seven-time world champion once shared the details of his conversation with the King, where the monarch acknowledged the driver's successful journey in F1.

Hamilton, since his F1 debut in 2007, is one of the most successful drivers to exist in the sport. He equaled Michael Schumacher's record of winning the most number of championships (7) and became the first driver to win more than 100 races. At 39, the British driver is not ready to call curtains on his career. Instead, he is all set to switch to Ferrari next year.

In recognition of his accomplishments in motorsports, Hamilton was bestowed the prefix 'Sir' after King Charles of the United Kingdom honored him with knighthood at the Investitures ceremony held at Buckingham Palace in London in 2021.

During his appearance on the talk show 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' in October 2022, Lewis Hamilton recalled the moment when he got knighted and also spilled the beans on a special conversation with King Charles.

Hamilton said that he met King Charles for the first time at the McLaren factory when he was 13 years old. As they met again at the palace, the King acknowledged the British driver's journey in F1. Hamilton said (via Sports Illustrated):

"I'm at the palace, and you have to take these certain steps to the prince. Very, very formal. I took the knee, and he put the sword on your shoulders. I was very nervous because I felt like the sword might be very sharp or something. But when I got back up, he's like, 'You've come a long way."

Recalling his first meeting with King Charles, he said:

"I met him when I was 13. I went to the McLaren factory, and he came up to open the factory. I was sitting in my go-kart where they have all the cars. And I sat there, and he came, and he knelt down and asked me what I wanted to do, what my dreams were, and I told him one day I wanted to be Formula 1 world champion." [1:00]

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Lewis Hamilton to embark on a fresh chapter in 2025

Lewis Hamilton with Charles Leclerc (Image Source: Getty)

After 11 years, Lewis Hamilton bid farewell to Mercedes, where he won six championships. The 39-year-old will join Scuderia Ferrari from the 2025 season onwards after an announcement confirmed the speculations in February earlier this year.

The unexpected move caught fans and the entire paddock by surprise since Hamilton had agreed to stay with Mercedes until 2025. However, Ferrari reportedly approached him with a lucrative offer in the off-season, and the Brit felt that switching teams was the right choice for him.

Hamilton will pair up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari whereas Mercedes signed Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the Brit's replacement.