Lewis Hamilton, a strident supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, was knighted Wednesday by future King, Prince Charles for his services to motorsport, the investiture coming just days after Hamilton losing the Grand Prix.
The Formula One racing champion was knighted Wednesday morning by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle, just three days after he lost the Grand Prix to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
Thirty-six-year-old Lewis Hamilton, now Sir Lewis Hamilton, was knighted for his services to motorsport after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2008 after he won his first Formula 1 championship, according to the BBC.
Hamilton’s acceptance of the knighthood — they can be turned down, and sometimes are — comes despite the racecar driver being a vocal supporter of the Marxist-inspired protest movement Black Lives Matter, going as far as racing in a black car and adorning himself in clothing featuring the BLM clenched-fist logo and slogans.
The Black Lives Matter movement has been a vocal critic of the monarchy, calling for a “boycott” of the Queen’s family over their alleged poor treatment of Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry.
BLM also supports the removal of the Queen as the head of state of the Caribbean countries she currently presides over, as they claim she is a legacy of “colonial rule”. The protest movement had recently celebrated Barbados removing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and becoming a Republic. Nevertheless, Hamilton has now accepted two major awards from the Royal Family.
Hamilton claims he was racially abused in Britain from a young age and watching the death of George Floyd led to him deciding he wanted to join the BLM movement.
However, the racecar driver has been criticised for his interpretation of his early life before, including when had claimed he had a “long journey” to “get out of the slums” of Stevenage, which prompted a backlash from the community he grew up in.
Trevor Lugmayer, 73 and his wife Valerie, 76, who live in Hamilton’s childhood home which had six bedrooms and four bathrooms, suggested Hamilton had lost touch with reality when he made the “slum” comments.
Trevor also mentioned: “Most people in Stevenage were Lewis Hamilton fans, but I am not so sure now.”
He continued: “He used to be an ambassador for Stevenage and everybody loved him because of that, but talk about an own goal, he’s really messed up here.”
Following the outcry from the Stevenage community, Hamilton was forced to apologise for his comments, saying he “chose the wrong words” to describe his upbringing.
Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to BLM-style stunts. He took the knee before every Formula 1 race in 2020 and has also worn controversial shirts in support of Black Lives Matter’s campaigns.
Black Lives Matter UK protesters have previously said they are not “loyal to Britain” and the leader of the Oxford chapter of Black Lives Matter UK, Sasha Johnson, went as far as to say the British police are “no different than the KKK”.
Hamilton has received widespread criticism for his controversial support of Black Lives Matter.
Veteran conservative figure and Brexit boss Nigel Farage suggested Lewis Hamilton was a hypocrite over his support for toppling statues, while also accepting sponsorship from Mercedes, a company that historically profited from slavery.
The 90-year-old motorsport mogul, Bernie Ecclestone, has also suggested Hamilton is being used by BLM to raise money.
“I’ve said to his father, ‘Lewis needs to be careful’. Because he’s being used by the people who are supporting this Black Lives Matter and they are taking a lot of money from it.”
Ecclestone went on to suggest that no one knows “where the money [BLM raises] goes”.
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