Christian Horner says he "squirmed with embarrassment" after breaking royal etiquette and winking at the late Queen Elizabeth II. The ex-Red Bull chief had been invited to lunch with Her Majesty and Prince Philip.
Eight Drivers' Championships under Horner
Horner spent 20 years as team principal at Red Bull, leading them to six Constructors' Championships. Sebastian Vettel won four world titles between 2010 and 2013 under his guidance and Max Verstappen repeated the feat from 2021 to 2024, meaning Horner oversaw a whopping eight Drivers' Championship wins.
Red Bull let the 52-year-old go in July 2025 amid an internal power struggle. According to Companies House accounts filed this month, he was paid a £100.48million compensation package.
Royal honours and a wince-inducing moment
For his various contributions to F1, Horner has been honoured by the Royal Family. In 2013, he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours and he was promoted to a CBE in the 2024 New Year Honours List. But a different interaction with royalty, a lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, did not go smoothly.
In his new book Drive, Horner recounts an invitation he received from the late Queen and Prince Philip. He writes: "As the afternoon wore on and we moved on to coffees in a lounge, the Queen offered me some sugar.
"I never took sugar in my drinks. But when offered by the most famous woman in the world, I couldn't say no. Then, when she dropped it into my cup, I did something that still makes me squirm with embarrassment. I winked at her. Whether she noticed or not, I have no idea, but it went against all etiquette, and I regretted it immediately."
An eclectic guest list
On the lunch, he said: "I had no idea what the event was about or what was expected of me. The scene was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Sitting in a small room were seven other guests, all of them from different walks of life.
"The only thing that connected us was the fact that we were guests of Her Majesty who, on occasion, enjoyed entertaining small, eclectic groups of people - some of them famous, some of them not. Among the invite list was a farmer, a mathematician and the most senior female member of the Royal Navy.
"As we waited nervously for our hosts to arrive, a side door opened and the Queen entered. Wow, she's a lot smaller in real life, I thought.
"We walked through the corridors to the dining room and the atmosphere felt relaxed and very homely. I remember thinking that it was like having lunch with your grandparents.
"Then, as we sat around the table, I watched the famous royal etiquette at work. During the first course, both the Queen and Prince Philip focused their attention on the person to their left.
"For the second, the person to their right. After which point they mixed, taking time to involve everyone in the conversation. They had also been incredibly well briefed."
He added: "I met the royal family on numerous occasions, including when I was awarded an OBE in 2013 and a CBE in 2024. Visiting Buckingham Palace was a surreal experience.
"It was an incredible honour that reinforced just how proud I was to be British. I remember feeling very fulfilled, knowing that I was making my parents proud."
