*Undated
Lewis Hamilton will receive his knighthood at Windsor Castle this Wednesday for services to motorsports, royal officials confirmed today.
The investiture ceremony will take place just three days after the Mercedes driver lost out on a record eighth Formula One world title in controversial circumstances.
Buckingham Palace announced this morning that the ceremony would take place in two days' time, just hours after he was omitted from the shortlist of six sporting stars for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year which takes place this Sunday December 19th.
Hamilton will become the fourth F1 driver to be recognised with a knighthood, after Sir Jackie Stewart in 2001., Sir Stirling Moss in 2000 and Sir Jack Brabham in 1979.
His knighthood was announced in the Queen's New Year Honours last December, and comes 12 years after he was awarded an MBE in 2009 after his first world title.
Hamilton will be knighted along with Poirot actor David Suchet for services to drama and charity, and Deutsche Oper Berlin general music director Donald Runnicles.
Last year, 36-year-old Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's record by winning his seventh world championship. He had been going for an eighth yesterday. Stevenage-born Hamilton, who lives in Monaco, is also the most successful F1 driver of all time in terms of most race wins, pole positions and podium finishes.
Max Verstappen clinched his maiden F1 world championship yesterday with a thrilling last-lap overtake of Hamilton on Sunday December 12th during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver stormed past title rival Hamilton in the closing stages of the race, having benefited from a late safety car that bunched up the pack. Confusion reigned as race director Michael Masi changed his mind to allow lapped cars to pass the safety car - meaning Verstappen had a clear run at Hamilton in the final lap and, on much faster tyres, made his move to claim a first F1 title.
Mercedes immediately launched two appeals, one against Verstappen for allegedly overtaking under a safety car and a second claiming a breach of rules regarding race restarts following a safety car period - both of which were dismissed.