Sir David Beckham received his knighthood at Windsor Castle today, marking the culmination of a long and widely followed journey toward one of Britain’s highest honours.
The former England captain knelt before King Charles, who tapped his shoulders with the ceremonial sword as Lady Beckham and his parents, Sandra and Ted, looked on.
The 50-year-old, who has described himself as a committed royalist, said the moment carried profound meaning.
“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 after the ceremony.
“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.”
Sir David arrived in a grey suit custom-designed by his wife, Victoria Beckham. He said he discussed the outfit with the King, crediting His Majesty for inspiring the look.
“He was quite impressed with my suit,” Sir David said. “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.”
He added that he had looked at old images of the then-Prince Charles in morning dress.
“I was like, ‘OK, that’s what I want to wear’, so I gave it to my wife and she did it.”
The knighthood comes more than two decades after Sir David received an OBE in 2003. His nomination for a knighthood was stalled in 2011 due to his involvement in a tax-avoidance scheme, a matter resolved in 2021 when tax authorities cleared him. With that hurdle removed, his path to the honour reopened.
Beyond football, Sir David has built a long record of charitable work, including nearly 20 years as a Unicef goodwill ambassador and donating his Paris Saint-Germain wages to charity.
“All the things that I do, I do out of love,” he said. “I don’t do it because I’m forced to do it, I don’t do it because I have to do it, I do it because it’s important.”
He said he recognised early in his career that public influence could be used for good.
“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. And I think it’s a very powerful tool to have in charity.”
Sir David has developed closer ties to the Royal family in recent years, becoming an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, sharing bee-keeping advice with the King, and attending several engagements with Their Majesties.
But today’s ceremony was about one thing: the moment he finally became Sir David Beckham.
