David Beckham has revealed what King Charles said to him as he was knighted for his services to sport and charity.
After being named in the King's Birthday Honours earlier this year, Beckham was formally honoured during a ceremony on Tuesday, which he described as the "proudest moment of his career."
Beckham enjoyed an outstanding career as a footballer, playing for European giants Manchester United and Real Madrid while making 115 appearances for England.
He was accompanied to the ceremony by his wife, Victoria, who will now be known as Lady Beckham.
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Speaking to The Guardian, Beckham was asked whether he managed to speak to King Charles during the ceremony.
Beckham said: “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 is the 16th male footballer to receive a knighthood, following in the footsteps of Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Kenny Dalglish and most recently Sir Gareth Southgate.
He spent 11 years at Manchester United, emerging as part of the famous Class of 92, before going on to win six Premier League titles at Old Trafford.
In 2003, he joined Real Madrid, and later went on to play for LA Galaxy, AC Milan and PSG.
Reflecting on the honour, Beckham continued: “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.
“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.”
Away from the pitch, Beckham has also been highly influential.
He played a key role in helping London secure the 2012 Olympic Games and has served as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef since 2005.
Beckham describes himself as a "huge royalist" and he queued for 12 hours to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Now 50, he remains heavily involved with football through his roles at both Inter Miami and Salford City.
He is the president and co-owner of the American club, while he is part of the ownership group that run Salford.
Topics: David Beckham, Football, Manchester United, Man Utd, Football News
James Taylor