Here, we take a look at the footballing icons’ colourful career over the years as Sir David Beckham receives a knighthood from King Charles.
It was a long-awaited moment, but now David Beckham is officially ‘Sir David’ after receiving a knighthood “for services to sport and charity”. The footballing legend’s wife, designer and former Spice Girl Victoria, now has the title Lady Beckham, following the investiture at Windsor Castle on Tuesday by King Charles.
The 50-year-old Inter-Miami CF owner, who was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, almost sabotaged his chances of receiving one in 2022, however, after a series of emails from 2017 to his PR Simon Oliveira were leaked.
It’s alleged that in the emails – slammed as misleading by his reps at the time – David claimed that he didn’t actually “care about being knighted,” while questioning why Katherine Jenkins was awarded an OBE.
“For what,” you ask? He is said to have asked in reference to the 2014 opera singer receiving the honor of singing at the rugby and going see the troops.
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The father-of-four’s controversy has finally come to an end, thanks to the legendary sportsman, who has long desired the honor.
He previously mentioned the recognition, saying that he was “humbled” and that he was “so lucky” to be able to do the work that “gives me so much fulfillment.”
The news will take a while to come out, but I’m very proud of it and I’m so happy to share it with my family.
David, who has played for England more than 100 times and is regarded as a global celebrity and one of the most well-known football players of all time, is renowned for his charitable work, particularly with children, as a proud UNICEF ambassador.
He also enjoys a famously warm friendship with King Charles and became an ambassador last year for the King’s Foundation, helping to inspire young people into careers in horticulture.
Yet, the dizzying ascent of the former Manchester United star, son of Ted, a kitchen fitter and Sandra, a hairdresser, has not come without its dramatic highs and lows.
The famous sportsman was kicked out at Diego Simeone in a depressing manner during the 1998 World Cup after England were defeated by Argentina, leading to one low point.
The defeat was something many fans blamed him for and, as he opened up emotionally about in his hit 2023 Netflix documentary Beckham, led to a ‘brutal’ period of public vilification and backlash, as he became public enemy number one.
Another dark chapter was in 2004, when Rebecca Loos, who had previously worked as David’s personal assistant, claimed the pair had had an affair, something he has always denied and called ‘ludicrous’.
It was a difficult time for the star and his wife, as David’s Netflix documentary touched on. But as Victoria revealed stoically just last month, the couple are made of strong stuff.
She said, “We’ve had so much thrown at us.” And because we recently celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary, people were complaining that it wouldn’t work after that.
“We’ve been thrown at us a lot, and we’ve always just been there together and just rode the storm,” he said.
Most recently, of course David – who has confessed of everything he’s done his family is ‘his biggest achievement’ has along with Victoria endured the heartache of an ongoing rift with eldest child Brooklyn and his actress wife Nicola Peltz, which shows no sign of ending any time soon.
Ongoing for months now, it has been reported that Brooklyn and Nicola – who renewed their vows in August without any of the Beckham clan present – have “quit the family” after being absent from Beckham family events since last Christmas.
However, David’s ability to roll with the punches and come back stronger is what has kept him from winning major league titles in England, Spain, the United States, and France throughout his meteoric rise to fame.
When his wife Victoria, who is now a star of a hit Netflix documentary, first learned about him as a husband, father, and driven and passionate career-man, she couldn’t be prouder of him.
You’ve always been my knight in shining armor, but now it’s official, she wrote in a picture of herself kissing David on the cheek. Dear David Beckham, What a privilege, I’m not more than proud of you.
Your commitment to the things that matter most, including your family, your job, your passions, and most importantly, your family, has never faltered.
