Former England and Manchester United legend David Beckham on Tuesday received the knighthood from King Charles at the Windsor Castle ceremony.
Beckham, who had played for United from 1991 to 1994, was recognised for his services to the sport and charity and received the prestigious rank. He arrived at the venue in a grey suit along with his wife, Victoria, Lady Beckham.
“He was quite impressed with my suit. He’s kind of the most elegantly dressed man that I know, so he inspired quite a few of my looks over the years, and he definitely inspired this look. It was something that my wife made me. I looked at old pictures of him 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,” Beckham said on being asked whether he did get to speak with the king.
Beckham reacts to receiving the knighthood
The former English footballer stated that he felt emotional on receiving the knighthood from the king. “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,” said Beckham.
“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.
“I think mostly it’s because of the career that I’ve had and the teams that I’ve played for and the things that I’ve won and the respect that I’ve gained throughout my career, and I think that that is why people listen to me,” he said. “And I think it’s a very powerful tool to have in charity. I just found very quickly that we could make a change with things that I said and things that I got involved in, and I think that’s why it’s so important to me,” he added.
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