It’s been over two decades since Queen Elizabeth II awarded David Beckham his OBE and since that day in 2003, he’s pined for the highest honour given out by the royal family – knighthood.
After years of being snubbed, the 50-year-old retired football player has finally been knighted by King Charles.
Sir David was knighted in a suit designed by his wife, Victoria Beckham‘s fashion label, and he was joined by Victoria and his parents, Ted and Sandra Beckham.
“[King Charles] was quite impressed with my suit,” the 50-year-old told UK media. “It was something that my wife made me. I looked at old pictures of him [King Charles] when he was quite young in morning suits and I was like, ‘OK, that’s what I want to wear’, so I gave it to my wife and she did it.”
David received the honour for his services to charity and football, and following the ceremony he admitted he never thought he’d receive such an honour.
“I’ve been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I’ve won and done what I’ve done, but to receive an honour like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive,” he said.
“To be honest, a young boy from the East End of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honoured by His Majesty the King – the most important and the most respected institution in the world – it’s quite a moment.
“This is without doubt my proudest moment.”
In his social media post following the event, he added, “All I have ever wanted to do is to make my family proud.”
“My parents and grandparents who were always there for me and instilled the right values of hard work and respect.
“My beautiful wife who has been by my side for the last 28 years, who has been my biggest supporter and my shoulder to cry on in tough times… without her I wouldn’t have had the life I have had.
“To my beautiful children who I am so proud of and I know this is a proud and inspiring day for them as well, they are our greatest joy in life and my inspiration every single day. I love you all so much.
“Finally Mum, Dad, Victoria and to my Kiddies can you believe this…I love you all so much and Thank You.”
When the news that he had been added to the King’s Birthday Honours list was first announced in June, a source close to David and Victoria told Woman’s Day, “There are no words to describe how much David wants this, and he genuinely deserves it,”
“The Queen would have given it to him years ago if he hadn’t had his emails hacked.”
Back in May, Charles and David were spotted briefly chatting about a letter inviting recipients to accept the King’s honours at the Chelsea Flower Show.
“You got it didn’t you?” Charles asked the soccer superstar, to which he replied “It was incredible, thank you. It was very kind.”
BITTERSWEET CELEBRATION
While Sir David’s new title is a massive honour, not everyone in the Beckham clan joined in on the celebrations thanks to an ongoing feud with their eldest son, Brooklyn.
A source tells Woman’s Day, “Of course Brooklyn was invited, but no one expected him to show. What is shocking is that he’s ignored the whole thing on social media. There was hope things might settle down after David and Victoria ‘liked’ his cooking post last month, so this is a real blow.
Our insider adds, “It’s hard to imagine this not affecting Brooklyn. He must know this could be the final nail in the coffin on his relationship with his father and it’s unlikely they’ll be able to go back from here.
“He and Nicola are trying for a baby so he’s in a bubble right now, but his dad finally getting a knighthood is an even bigger deal than his 50th. He might be in denial about it but he’s going to regret missing that moment in history, especially if he and Nicola do have kids. They’ll want to know one day why their dad wasn’t there when their grandpa got a knighthood from the King.”
YEARS IN THE MAKING
With David’s many achievements on and off the football pitch making him a firm contender for knighthood multiple times but other concerns got in the way of him achieving his long-coveted dream.
Since last year, David has been an ambassador for The King’s Foundation and has been working closely alongside King Charles to “create better communities where people, places and the planet can coexist in harmony.”
He was first pegged to receive the top honour in 2011 after he helped ensure the Olympics were coming to London the following year, but was blocked by the Honours Committee after he became embroiled in a tax avoidance scheme, which was only resolved in 2021.
In 2017, a leaked rant about the perceived snubbing expressed David’s annoyance with not receiving his knighthood sooner – and referred to the Honours Committee as ‘a bunch of c***s’.
“Who decides on the honours? It’ a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would’ve go something like this ten years ago… It’s p***ed me off the old unappreciative c***s.”
At the time, a representative for David slammed the reports as ‘misleading’, however, one of Becks’ close pals later told The Mirror that the messages were sent ‘in the heat of the moment’.
