Her Majesty's royal visit to Woking

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As the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we are remembered of a day back in May 2004 when Her Majesty was given the royal tour of the McLaren Technology Center.

Queen Elizabeth traveled to Woking to officially open the impressive McLaren Group complex designed by renowned architect Norman Foster.

The Queen was guided on her tour of the state-of-the-art facility by then McLaren chairman Ron Dennis, a visit during which Her Majesty had the opportunity to meet several past and present illustrious McLaren drivers, with F1 world champions Emerson Fittipaldi, Alain Prost and Mika Hakkinen, among others, present for the occasion.

But the Queen's very first encounter with Formula 1 goes all the way back to the sport's inaugural championship event at Silverstone in 1950.

In the picture hereunder, a young Elizabeth – seen in the background here - is introduced before the race to the field of contenders along with here father King George VI.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.