Never mind the random act of hat, or the shirt that may have been borrowed from James May. Formula One driver and SUPPPOSED English gentleman Lewis Hamilton ran afoul of the Royal Box dress code at Wimbledon, causing him to miss the final. The violation? No jacket, tie and shoes that were to the code’s standards.
Some English gentleman you turn out to be, Hamilton!
Here’s what Hamilton tried to get into the Royal Box wearing:
Hamilton seems to have received the dress code before he came to the tennis classic, as he Instagrammed the invitation with the caption, “On my way to Wimbledon to watch the final! Honoured to have been invited to watch the men’s finals from the Royal Box! 🇬🇧”
C’mon, dude. No excuse for not reading that. It’s a championship so stuffy and traditional that Bernie Ecclestone considered buying it at one point—what did you expect?
Clearly, going to fetch a jacket, tie and shoes would have caused him to miss the entire match. He appears to have been eventually let into a hospitality area in a later Instagram.
Given the venue, I’m surprised someone didn’t make him remove his hat inside, but c’mon, he’s practically a national hero in his home land. He could walk into anywhere but the Royal Box at Wimbledon wearing a cheesehead and probably not be given much (if any) grief. (Let’s be honest, a cheesehead is still a more daring and stylish choice than a fedora, anyway.)
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for Hamilton told BBC Sport, “Due to a misunderstanding over dress code, he is disappointed to have missed the final.”
Sorry, Lewis, but it’s hard to find an excuse for this one. Someone went to great care to provide appropriate documentation for the event, and it’s up to you to read the friendly manual.
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.