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Sir David Beckham, the ex-captain of England, has received a formal knighthood for his contributions to British society and football.

The King presented the 50-year-old with the honors on Tuesday at a ceremony held in Berkshire in honor of the man who was earlier honored on King Charles’ Birthday Honours list.

Beckham remarked, “I couldn’t be prouder.” I love my country, and people know how patriotic I am.

I’ve always emphasized to my family how important the monarchy is.

“Our monarchy is everything people want to talk to me about, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world.” I’m proud of it.

At Windsor Castle, his wife Victoria and his parents Sandra and David joined him.

The suit her husband wore at the castle was created and made by Victoria, who received an OBE in 2017 for her work in the fashion sector.

Beckham claimed that “King Charles] was quite impressed with my suit.”

He “has definitely inspired this look because he is the most elegantly dressed man I have ever met.”

My wife made me do it, she said.

When I was a young man wearing morning suits when he was quite young, I said to my wife, “OK, that’s what I want to wear,” and she did.

Beckham captained the Three Lions for six seasons between 2000 and 2006 while playing for his country 115 times.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder represented England at three World Cups and two European Championships.

Beckham left United’s academy in 1992, where he spent 11 years before making a £25 million move to Real in 2003.

Before joining the Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy, he spent four years in the Spanish capital. Prior to completing his career at Paris St-Germain in 2013, he spent two loan spells at AC Milan while residing in Los Angeles.

Beckham’s influence extends far beyond the pitch, though.

He contributed to London’securing the 2012 Olympics thanks to his birth in east London.

Since 2005, he has collaborated with the UNICEF’s humanitarian aid program, and a fund was established in his honor in 2015 to honor the pair’s ten-year partnership.

In 2024, Beckham supported King Charles’ education program and efforts to increase young people’s understanding of nature. She served as the foundation’s ambassador.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill will be without key midfield duo Shea Charles and Ali McCann for this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Southampton midfielder Charles misses out with a hamstring injury, while McCann fractured his arm in action for Preston North End last month.

Charles ‘ younger brother, Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, is also absent with the shoulder problem that has kept him out of Northern Ireland’s past four games.

Oxford United defender Brodie Spencer is another absentee in a squad that sees uncapped Barnsley midfielder Patrick Kelly promoted from the under-21s.

The former West Ham player, who moved to Oakwell in the summer, has previously played 12 times for the under-21s.

Northern Ireland are third in Group A, three points behind leaders Germany and second-place Slovakia with two games remaining.

They face Slovakia in Kosice on 14 November before concluding their campaign at home to Luxembourg three days later.

Goalkeepers: Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Blackpool, on loan from Birmingham City), Conor Hazard (Plymouth Argyle), Luke Southwood (Bristol Rovers)

Defenders: Daniel Ballard (Sunderland), Trai Hume (Sunderland), Paddy McNair (San Diego), Conor Bradley (Liverpool), Ciaron Brown (Oxford United), Eoin Toal (Bolton Wanderers), Ruairi McConville (Norwich City), Terry Devlin (Portsmouth), Ryan Johnson (AFC Wimbledon)

Midfielders: George Saville (Luton Town), Isaac Price (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Smyth (Queens Park Rangers), Ethan Galbraith (Swansea City), Justin Devenny (Crystal Palace), Ross McCausland (Aris Limassol, on loan from Rangers), Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock), Jamie Donley (Stoke City, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie McDonnell (Mansfield Town, on loan from Nottingham Forest), Patrick Kelly (Barnsley)

While Conor Bradley and Isaac Price may garner more headlines, Shea Charles and Ali McCann have become the fulcrum around which O’Neill has built his side.

The manager has said previously that McCann is the sort of player his side “miss the most when he’s not available”, while Charles is a driving force from midfield and perhaps the best passer of the ball in the side, something all the more important in the absence of his brother’s distribution from between the posts.

Moving Paddy McNair or Justin Devenny, who are regular starters at left wing-back and center-back, into central midfield is a possibility, but that would leave similar gaps open elsewhere.

Spencer would have been the most obvious choice to replace Devenny down the left flank if not for his own injury.

Without their entire starting midfield trio from their previous four qualifiers, who will replace Galbraith with Northern Ireland in the Slovakia game at least?

Captain Ben Stokes has extended his England central contract through to the end of the next home Ashes series in 2027.

Stokes, whose previous deal was due to expire at the end of next summer, is one of 14 players to sign on for two years.

They include pace bowler Jofra Archer, who has signed an extended contract following his return to Test cricket.

England said the contracts reward performances in the past year, while also looking ahead to the upcoming schedule. The home Ashes in 2027 is followed by a 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

All of the 16 players in the squad for the upcoming Ashes in Australia have been handed a contract of at least one year.

Eleven of the Ashes squad – including Stokes, Archer, Joe Root and Harry Brook – have signed two-year deals.

Four of the five with one-year contracts – batters Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts – are not multi-format players, while 35-year-old pace bowler Mark Wood is entering the final part of a three-year contract he signed in 2023.

The extension of Stokes’ contract is particularly eye-catching.

The 34-year-old all-rounder has a chequered injury record and is currently recovering from a shoulder problem.

However, he is on track to be fit for the first Ashes Test in Perth on 21 November, which would be his first action since July.

All-rounder Jamie Overton, who has taken a break from red-ball cricket, is given a one-year deal for his first central contract.

Also signing one-year deals for the first time are pace bowlers Sonny Baker, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, along with all-rounder Liam Dawson.

Chris Woakes, who retired from international cricket last month, drops off the list.

Jonny Bairstow’s two-year central contract has finally come to an end, while spinner Jack Leach also misses out after falling out of favour.

All-rounder Liam Livingstone has not played for England since the Champions Trophy in March and loses his deal, along with pace bowlers Olly Stone and Reece Topley.

England two-year central contracts

Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

England one-year central contracts

Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham)

England development contracts