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via Imago

via Imago

The British royal family’s fandom for Formula 1 is no secret. Queen Elizabeth II was one of the most high-profile attendees at the first F1 GP held at Silverstone. But did you know Prince Harry was among the first people to congratulate Lewis Hamilton on his 2014 world championship win?

Lewis Hamilton took the world of F1 by storm in his rookie season in 2007 with McLaren. He missed out on the championship by just a single point, finishing behind Kimi Raikkonen. The following year was, however, when he completed the unfinished business by winning his maiden world championship. The Briton, however, had to wait until 2014 to relive the feat.

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How Prince Harry congratulated Lewis Hamilton on his 2nd world title

After a long wait for his 2nd world title, Lewis Hamilton made a switch to Mercedes. Many saw the move as a not-so-informed decision, but one taken out of desperation. The boy from Stevenage proved his critics wrong the following year when he beat his teammate Nico Rosberg to the title.

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Prince Harry, who was present at the event, congratulated his countryman with a hilarious team radio message. He exclaimed, Lewis thank you very very much for not letting or making the British public sweat. You are an absolute legend. Well done, mate.”

Read More: Rare 72 Year Old Footage Shows Queen Elizabeth Cheering On at the First Ever F1 Championship Race

The death of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II saw an outpouring of grief around the globe. Like many other sports, Formula 1, too, paid its respects to the royal monarch by observing a minute of silence at the Monza.

How Formula 1 paid its respects to Queen Elizabeth II

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F1 boss Stefano Domenicali was among the first to pay tribute to the departed monarch. He said, “For more than seven decades she dedicated her life to public service with dignity and devotion and inspired so many around the world.”

via Reuters

Lewis Hamilton posted a heartfelt message for the Queen through Social Media. The 7-time world champion believed her presence was reassuring to many and called her an iconic leader. He even wrote about his time spent with her, “I had the incredible honor of being able to spend time with her. It is something I’ll never forget. We talked about our shared love of dogs and she was incredibly generous with her time.”

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Watch This Story: From Prince Harry to Will Smith: when celebrities were left speechless at an F1 race

The Queen certainly was held in very high regard, not just in Britain, but around the globe. Her gracious presence will certainly be missed for a long time to come.