Football star Beckham hails knighthood as the proudest moment of life

Former England football captain David Beckham on Tuesday received his knighthood from King Charles III at Windsor Castle, calling it his “proudest moment”.

The football star, 50, who played 115 times for England as well as for some of the world’s most high-profile clubs including Manchester United and Real Madrid, was knighted for services to sport and charity.

Beckham said it was “quite a moment” for a boy from the east end of London to be “here at Windsor Castle, being honoured by His Majesty the King -- the most important and the most respected institution in the world”.

“This is without doubt my proudest moment,” he told the PA news agency.

Beckham, known as a stylish dresser, wore a grey suit made by his pop star-turned fashion designer wife Victoria.

She accompanied him to the ceremony at Windsor, west of London, along with his parents Ted and Sandra.

Beckham has been known as “Sir David” since the honour was announced in June while Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls, became “Lady Beckham”.

Asked whether he managed to speak to Charles during the ceremony, Beckham said Charles had been “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.

“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,” he added.

Beckham added that receiving the honour was particularly special for him as he had “always been a huge fan of the monarchy”.

“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.

Beckham’s knighthood is the culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football and turn himself into a global icon at the intersection of sport, fashion and business.

He was believed to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared.

Beckham, a lifelong admirer of the royal family, was dressed in a suit designed by his wife, Victoria Beckham, a fashion designer and former member of the Spice Girls pop band.

He and King Charles shared a brief but warm exchange during the ceremony, with the king seen smiling and laughing as they spoke.

Coming out of the ceremony, Beckham said he cried when he first found out he was being awarded the knighthood.

Born in east London, Beckham made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 1995, two years after he joined as a trainee. He went on to win six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with the club, before playing for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. He retired in 2013 with 115 England caps.

Known for his precise free kicks and crossing ability, Beckham also became one of the most commercially successful athletes of his era. He has worked with brands such as Adidas, luxury brand Armani, high-street retailer H&M and Pepsi and has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2005. According to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, Beckham and his wife have a combined net worth of 500 million pounds ($671 million).

Beckham has long expressed admiration for the royal family, describing himself as a “huge royalist”.

In 2022, Beckham queued for more than 12 hours to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state at Westminster Hall, declining offers to skip the line.

“I grew up in a household of royalists,” he told ITV at the time. “If my grandparents would have been today, I know that they would have wanted to be here.”

He attended both Prince William’s 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton and Prince Harry’s 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.

Beckham has also developed a personal rapport with the King, sharing a mutual interest in gardening.

Last year, he was appointed an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, which supports education and sustainability initiatives.

Beckham married Victoria Adams, known as “Posh Spice” from the all-women Spice Girls pop group, in 1999. The couple have four children.

They opened up about their relationship in two Netflix documentaries. The series touched on the pressures of fame, family tensions and the challenges they faced during Beckham’s playing career, including tabloid speculation and time spent apart due to his international transfers.

Beckham has described his family as his “greatest achievement”.

($1 = 0.7451 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti)