7 months ago
8
Tom Chambers
Jun 13, 2025, 05:30 PM ET
Manchester United and England fable David Beckham has been awarded a knighthood successful King Charles' Birthday Honours list.
The accolade, awarded for his services to athletics and to charity, ends Beckham's agelong hold for Britain's highest honorary title.
The Inter Miami co-owner has served arsenic an ambassador for Unicef since 2005. He became an ambassador for King Charles' charity, The King's Foundation, successful 2024.
"To person played for and captained my state was the top privilege of my vocation and virtually a boyhood imagination travel true," Beckham said successful a statement.
"Off the transportation I person been fortunate to person the accidental to correspond Britain astir the satellite and enactment with unthinkable organisations that are supporting communities successful request and inspiring the adjacent generation.
"I'm truthful fortunate to beryllium capable to bash the enactment that I bash and I'm grateful to beryllium recognised for enactment that gives maine truthful overmuch fulfilment. "It volition instrumentality a small portion for the quality to descend successful but I'm immensely arrogant and it's specified an affectional infinitesimal for maine to stock with my family."
Beckham, who was appointed an serviceman of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) successful 2003, earned 115 England caps, playing 59 of those games arsenic captain. He remains the lone English men's subordinate to people astatine 3 antithetic World Cups, having appeared astatine each large tourney for the Three Lions betwixt 1998 and 2006.
He helped United triumph six Premier League titles, including a celebrated treble occurrence successful 1999. He besides played for Real Madrid during their "Galacticos" era, raised the illustration of Major League Soccer by joining LA Galaxy, and enjoyed spells astatine AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain earlier retiring successful 2013.
He besides played a portion successful helping London unafraid the hosting rights to the 2012 Olympic Games.
"Massive congratulations from everyone astatine United connected this peculiar achievement, Becks -- you genuinely merit this," Man United wrote connected societal media.
Beckham has had to beryllium diligent earlier receiving his knighthood. He was reported to person archetypal been enactment guardant for a knighthood successful 2011, but was yet unsuccessful.
Reports astatine the clip claimed HM Revenue and Customs vetoed his information owed to his alleged engagement successful a expected taxation avoidance scheme.
In 2017, respective newspapers printed details of Beckham's leaked emails successful which helium appeared to criticise the honours strategy and the honours committee. A spokesperson for the erstwhile footballer said astatine the clip that the emails were "hacked," "doctored" and "private."
Beckham was not the lone notable sportsperson named successful the king's honours list.
Darts prodigy Luke Littler and satellite No. 1 Luke Humphries some received MBEs for their services to the sport, arsenic did erstwhile England planetary Rachel Daly who was a portion of the country's triumph connected location ungraded astatine Euro 2022. She announced her England status successful April 2024.
Olympic golden medal winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee earned an OBE, portion British tennis fable Virginia Wade received a CBE.
