For all of McLaren's grand prix wins and championship victories, one of the most defining moments in our history happened away from the race track, when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in May 2004.

Following the sad passing of Her Majesty, we revisit the historic occasion and share a story we feel defines our British heritage.

Usually, when you think of McLaren, you think papaya, but for 48 hours in 2004, everything was purple. Lavender covered the tables and lined the shelves of the dining hall, with a wall of lavender built specially to separate the catering operations area from those dining.

The conception and construction of the MTC was a project 10 years in the making, with work initially beginning in the nineties. Its opening by The Queen was enormous for everyone who had been involved in a building project, which has since come to define the team.

McLaren's Director of Brand Experience, Michael Edgecombe – who is approaching his 30th anniversary with the team - was heavily involved and remembers the event vividly. "The whole thing was amazing," he recalls. "On that day, it seemed like the focus of the world was on McLaren and this building.

"It's not every day you meet your monarch. It's not every day they come and open where you work. Drivers included, we had the great and the good in the MTC that day."

Our entire stable of living drivers, past and present, were involved, with the likes of Mika Häkkinen, Emerson Fittipaldi and Alain Prost joining 2004 pairing David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen at the opening, having enjoyed a luxurious dinner with the team at the MTC the evening prior.

Usually, when you think of McLaren, you think papaya, but for 48 hours in 2004, everything was purple. Lavender covered the tables and lined the shelves of the dining hall, with a wall of lavender built specially to separate the catering operations area from those dining.

The conception and construction of the MTC was a project 10 years in the making, with work initially beginning in the nineties. Its opening by The Queen was enormous for everyone who had been involved in a building project, which has since come to define the team.

McLaren's Director of Brand Experience, Michael Edgecombe – who is approaching his 30th anniversary with the team - was heavily involved and remembers the event vividly. "The whole thing was amazing," he recalls. "On that day, it seemed like the focus of the world was on McLaren and this building.

"It's not every day you meet your monarch. It's not every day they come and open where you work. Drivers included, we had the great and the good in the MTC that day."

Our entire stable of living drivers, past and present, were involved, with the likes of Mika Häkkinen, Emerson Fittipaldi and Alain Prost joining 2004 pairing David Coulthard and Kimi Räikkönen at the opening, having enjoyed a luxurious dinner with the team at the MTC the evening prior.