Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton will be awarded knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List, according to reports in the British media.
According to The Sun, the seven-time world champion will be honoured after his controversial tax affairs were deemed “all in order”. The knighthood will crown a perfect year for the 35 year old.
Lewis, worth an estimated £250million and a resident of tax haven Monaco, will be knighted in the New Year after his finances got the green light from the British government’s honours committee, the report said. Lewis had taken advantage of rules —legally — to save £3.3million tax by registering a £16.5 million private jet on the Isle of Man. He had received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2009.
Lewis, a passionate supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, is the latest sports hero to be knighted — following Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, tennis ace Andy Murray and former England cricket captain Alastair Cook.
Lewis won his seventh F1 Championship on November 15 in Turkey and was congratulated by the Queen via the Royal Family’s Twitter account. Asked previously about a knighthood, Lewis had said: “When I think about that honour I think about people like my grandad who served in the war.”
He added: “I’ve not saved any lives, I’m not an unsung hero like NHS staff or Captain Tom Moore.
“Like everyone, I’ve grown up adoring the royal family. If one day I am honoured to be up in front of the queen again, it would be the happiest day ever to see her again. She’s an icon, such an incredible individual.”
