David Beckham’s rocky road to knighthood

It was a “very emotional day”, David Beckham said yesterday as he was knighted by King Charles during a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The knighthood, which the former Manchester United and England star described as his “proudest moment”, brings to a successful end the “20-year campaign” he has waged for the honour, said The Telegraph.

Leaked emails

It’s “no secret” that Becks was “gasping for a knighthood for a long time”, said The Spectator. Nor that he “worked tirelessly for one”. In 2003, he was made an OBE for services to football, but he didn’t seem satisfied with that honour.

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In 2005, he was part of the delegation that Britain dispatched to Singapore in a bid to secure the 2012 Olympics for London. Thanks to the success of that bid, he was put forward for a knighthood in 2011, but this was vetoed when he was linked to a tax avoidance scheme. Sources close to Beckham said he had no knowledge of the scheme.

There were other issues. Royal watchers said the Beckhams had offended Prince Philip when he and his wife Victoria sat on gold thrones at their 1999 wedding. In 2017, hacked emails suggested he had described the Honours Committee as a “disgrace” and “unappreciative c**ts”. His representatives said that the some of the leaked messages had been doctored and taken out of context.

Royal welcome

”I couldn’t be prouder,” the former England captain said after finally receiving his long-awaited knighthood. “People know how patriotic I am. I love my country. I’ve always said how important the monarchy is to my family.”

Beckham got closer to the royals when he bonded with Prince William as the two men spearheaded England’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The Beckhams also attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018. Four years later, he was praised for queuing for 12 hours alongside other members of the public to pay his respects at Queen Elizabeth’s coffin.

Last year, the Beckhams attended a banquet to mark the state visit of the Emir of Qatar, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace. Friends said he was “humbled” to receive the invitation. An ambassador for the King’s Foundation, Beckham has worn the King’s Rose, created in collaboration with the charity, and named after the monarch, in his lapel. He has also revealed that he shares the king’s interest in gardening, and asked Charles for “beekeeping tips” when he met him at the Highgrove Estate in May last year.