FORMULA 1 boss Christian Horner put his hellish year behind him as he collected a CBE — with Spice Girl wife Geri by his side.

The Red Bull chief, 51, picked up the gong from King Charles yesterday for his services to motorsports.

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Geri, 52, looked more Posh than Baby Spice in a netted veil and headband.

The award capped a rollercoaster year for the racing boss who was cleared after being accused of sending intimate texts to a colleague.

He said about meeting the King at the ceremony in Buckingham Palace: “He was charming.”

Horner was accused of sending the intimate late-night texts to the woman, in her 40s, who reported him to HR executives at the racing team.

It sparked a months-long internal misconduct probe which threatened to force Horner, who has led Red Bull since 2005, to leave in disgrace.

And it even put his marriage in jeopardy with the allegations leaving Geri “mortified and angry” at her husband of nine years.

An internal probe cleared Horner in February and his accuser’s appeal was thrown out in August, with Horner adding he was “relieved” to be in the clear.

Now he and Geri, who share a seven-year-old son, are said to be putting the furore behind them and moving on.

Last Friday the couple put on a smitten display during the FIA Awards in Kigali, Rwanda.

Horner has also mended the bridge with Max Verstappen’s dad Jos – who was said to be pushing for his sacking during the investigation.