So, arise, Sir David Beckham, and welcome to the small and exclusive band of people from the football industry to receive one of the highest honours in the United Kingdom — a knighthood from the royal family.
The announcement was made in The Gazette, the official organ of public record, as part of King Charles III’s official birthday honours — one of the two occasions each year when the ruling monarch honours a selection of people for their “significant contributions” to the country.
Beckham, the former England captain and now joint owner of MLS team Inter Miami, will be invited to an investiture ceremony to make everything official, including his wife, formerly a pop star with the Spice Girls, becoming Lady Victoria.
The wait is finally over for the man she famously christened Goldenballs in his playing days, whose desire to become a Sir has been depicted at times as almost obsessional.
“Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour,” said Beckham. “It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I’m immensely proud and it’s such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.”
Not everyone will wish to join in the…
