Lewis Hamilton Denied Entry To Royal Box During Wimbledon Men's Final

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton driver was shown the door for not adhering to the strict dress code of the royal box at the men’s singles final at Wimbledon Sunday. The racer was not allowed to enter the box because he was not wearing a jacket and tie. Men seated in the royal box are required to follow the dress code, the Telegraph reported.

The F1 champion was reported to have arrived late at the All England Lawn Tennis Club without having dressed appropriately. The Club refused to comment on reports he was shown the red flag as the men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer got underway. But, Aeltc confirmed Hamilton was absent from the box for the match.

“Lewis turned up an hour late and wasn’t wearing a tie. He was told he would need to put one on to enter the box but he threw a bit of hissy fit, which lasted a couple of minutes, and then left,” a source said.

The insider added there is a strict dress code and the staff manning the box had no choice. He was asked not to enter the box. Hamilton’s spokesman, however, clarified that due to an “unfortunate misunderstanding regarding the dress code at Wimbledon,” the F1 champion missed the match.

The 30-year-old received an invitation to watch the men’s singles final from the royal box. Earlier in the day Hamilton posted a picture on Instagram showing his royal box invitation. He later posted another picture of himself on Instagram dressed in a colorful shirt and trousers, with the caption “Wimbledon.”

Pippa Middleton, who usually sits in the royal box, was also noticeably absent from the star-studded seating area Sunday. She was pictured watching the final at Centre Court. Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper and Hugh Grant were in the royal box alongside a host of former Wimbledon champions.

Cumberbatch was joined by his father, Timothy, while Grant, 54, was seated with TV executive Anna Eberstein. Oscar nominee Cooper, 40, was in the exclusive box after previously sitting with Federer’s camp during the tournament. Other guests in the box included Wimbledon winners Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert and Rod Laver.