When you’re cleaning up on the Formula One circuit you’ll find things like manners and decorum matter significantly less than for us everyday folk. That is, of course, unless you spray champagne in a hostess’ face or fail to obey table etiquette when dining with royalty.

Hamilton was lucky enough to sit next to the Queen herself at a royal lunch, although he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. Hamilton described the incident on the Graham Norton Show, with this below from the Independent:

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.

We’re sure she is super fly Lewis but you would do well to remember the elaborate set of rules the Queen dines by. Here’s an etiquette expert describing these rules:

The Queen would begin to speak to the person on her right, the guest of honour – for the duration of the first course.

For the next course she would speak to the person seated to her left. This thus indeed means it is convention at a dinner party to speak to the guest seated to one’s left before speaking to the one on the right – also with the Queen.

Best you remember those for the next time you’re dining in the presence of royalty, even if the rebuke from ‘ol Queeny was a rather meek one.

[source:independent]