David Beckham has been knighted by King Charles at Windsor Castle for services to sport and charity.
The 50-year-old former Manchester United midfielder and England captain was formally honoured during a ceremony on Tuesday after receiving the distinction in the King’s Birthday Honours this summer.
Sir David’s wife Victoria, the Spice Girl turned fashion designer, joined him at the ceremony, and is now known as Lady Beckham.
David Beckham is knighted by King Charles
Sir David Beckham received his knighthood at Windsor Palace on Tuesday
“It’s a very proud day for us as a family,” said the football star, who has won 19 major trophies in his career.
“I grew up in the east end of London in a very humble family. My dream was always to become a professional footballer – play for my country, play for Manchester United.
“Everything else that has come with that has been incredible but to be honoured by the most important and respected institution in the world is a very proud day.
“The monarchy has always been very important in my family. To be here to receive a knighthood by His Majesty the King is pretty surreal.”
Beckham’s impact on and off the field
Beckham began his football career at Manchester United, where he made 394 appearances and scored 85 goals, before going on to play for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
He made 115 appearances for England, the third-highest of any senior men’s player, and captained his country 59 times.
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Following Gustavo Hamer’s incredible goal for Sheffield United, relive the best halfway line goals ever from the likes of David Beckham, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney – with each strike getting further and further out!
Beckham has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2005, and he also established the 7 Fund aimed at helping vulnerable children around the world.
He was last year named an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, an educational charity established by Charles in 1990.
Speaking about his philanthropic work, Beckham said: “All the things that I do, I do out of love.
“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.
“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.
“I think it’s a very powerful tool to have in charity. I just found very quickly that we could make 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.”
