APRIL 5, 1999

One day your prince will come...

McLAREN was given a royal seal of approval last week when the heir to the British throne Charles, Prince of Wales, paid a 45-minute visit to the team's headquarters in Woking.

McLAREN was given a royal seal of approval last week when the heir to the British throne Charles, Prince of Wales, paid a 45-minute visit to the team's headquarters in Woking. The Prince was doing a day of royal visits in the Surrey area. The Prince toured the McLaren facility and met David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen who presented him with the racing helmets they wore at last year's Italian Grand Prix. He also met the youngest member of McLaren's driver support program, 14-year-old kartist Lewis Hamilton.

The Prince has not shown much interest in motor racing in the past, although his sons Princes William and Harry are both Formula 1 fans.

"It was a great honour to meet him," said Hakkinen. "It was nice to see him so interested in racing cars."