Sir David Beckham ‘very proud’ after finally receiving knighthood after decades
Sir David Beckham’s freshly-minted knighthood has been a long time coming, and it’s clear that no one has felt that anticipation more keenly than Becks himself.
The former footballer and British icon, 50, could not be prouder to have finally received the high honour from King Charles III himself after what has been a decades-long campaign towards affixing the formal honorific to his famous name.
After the formal knighthood ceremony, Sir David beamed with pride as he spoke with 9News about what has been “a very proud day” for him.
“My dream was always to become a professional footballer, play for my country, play for Manchester United and everything that has come with that has been incredible,” he said with a grin.
“But today, to be honoured by one of the most important institutions in the world and one of the most respected institutions in the world. You know, being an east end boy… it’s a very proud day.”
The honour has been a long time coming for the former football star who has been reportedly wanting a knighthood for years.
He received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) from the late Queen Elizabeth II back in 2003 for his services to football.
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Since then, Beckham has been considered a shoo-in for the royal honour but has missed out on several occasions.
The British icon was first nominated for a knighthood back in 2011 but a tax debacle led to him being blocked until authorities cleared him in 2021.
He had also been widely tipped to receive a knighthood in 2022 but a scandal that unfolded from a leaked 2017 email criticising the royal honours system blocked it at the time.
“It’s been about a 20-year campaign and let’s be honest it hasn’t always gone smoothly for him,” The Telegraph’s Associate Editor Camilla Tominey said in conversation with Today co-hosts Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic.
“It’s quite clear that he is a royalist and [this knighthood] is very important to him,” she added, recalling the time Sir David won the approval of many royalists after queuing for 12 hours to see the late Queen Elizabeth II lying in state after her death in 2022.
She then added that the king and Sir David have “quite a lot in common”.
“Both of them are beekeepers, both of them have got sons who have married Americans and are no longer speaking to them … both of them are in their own way national treasures,” she said.
Now, the honour has finally come for Sir David, who bowed in front of King Charles to be knighted during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday morning (evening AEDT).
He received the honour for services to football and charity, with the knighthood announced in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this year.
The 50-year-old was joined by proud parents Ted and Sandra Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham, who will now be known as Lady Beckham.
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