Sir Lewis Hamilton reveals why King Charles’ sword made him so ‘nervous’ during knighthood ceremony-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

The process of being knighted would understandably stir up a lot of nerves, but Sir Lewis Hamilton says it was the idea of having a ‘really sharp sword’ on his shoulder that had him on edge.

The Formula One racing driver was recognised for his hugely successful career late last year, becoming the fourth F1 driver in history to receive the honour.

Just days earlier Sir Hamilton had missed out on a record eighth world title, but he continued to make history by being the only driver to be knighted while still competing.

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night, Sir Hamilton said that although there were a lot of formalities to keep in mind during the ceremony at Windsor Castle, it was the ceremonial sword that sparked the most stress.

‘Coming all the way down the line I’m at the Palace and you have to take all of these certain steps towards the then Prince and it’s very formal,’ he said.

‘You have to take three steps, turn 90 degrees and then another four steps, bow, take another two steps and then take a knee.

We don’t blame him, to be honest (Picture: CBS/ PA)

‘I took the knee and then he put the sword on my shoulders, and I was really nervous because you feel like the sword may be really sharp or something.’

As Kimmel joked, the last time the pair met Sir Hamilton was ‘just a Lewis’, with the driver also recalling a conversation when his Dad asked if he now had to refer to his son by his title.

While Sir Hamilton gave his dad a pass, he did reveal that his niece and nephew jokingly call him ‘Sir Uncle.’

Sir Hamilton is the fourth Formula One driver in history to be knighted (Picture: Charles Coates/Getty Images)

During the interview Sir Hamilton also spoke about how he first met the King when he was a teenager and had just been signed to the McLaren driver development programme.

‘I went to the factory and he came to open it up and I was sitting in my go kart and he knelt down and asked me what I wanted to do and what my dreams were, and I said I wanted to be a World Champion,’ he recalled.

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When they met again during the knighthood ceremony, the King remembered and mentioned that initial meting and told Sir Hamilton he had ‘come a long way’.

‘It was a very special moment,’ Sir Hamilton added.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11.35pm on ABC in the United States. It is also available to stream on Hulu.

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