Sir David Beckham: Football icon set for knighthood in King Charles birthday

David Beckham, the global football icon, is reportedly slated to be awarded a knighthood next week as part of King Charles III’s birthday celebrations. This prestigious honour has been anticipated for Beckham for over a decade, recognizing his illustrious career of more than 100 caps for England and his profound commitment to charity work, with a notable focus on enhancing the lives of disadvantaged children.

Beckham, aged 50, will be officially named on King Charles III’s birthday honours list, allowing him to use the title of "Sir." Consequently, his wife, Victoria Beckham, the renowned fashion designer and former Spice Girl, will also be known as Lady Beckham, according to reports from The Sun.

The couple has frequently appeared alongside members of the Royal Family at various public engagements. Recent sightings include their presence at the Chelsea Flower Show, where they were photographed with King Charles and Queen Camilla, and an Anglo-Italian relations dinner at Highgrove, King Charles’s private Gloucestershire residence, in February.

Beyond his playing career, which saw him captain the England team for six years, Beckham actively serves as an official ambassador for The King’s Foundation. Through this role, he supports education programmes and initiatives aimed at fostering a greater understanding of nature among young people, as detailed on his official website. His recent Netflix documentary also highlighted his personal passion for beekeeping on the couple’s Cotswolds estate.

He was considered first in 2011

Beckham initially received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2003. His name was first put forward for a knighthood in 2011, following his instrumental role in London securing the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. However, his nomination was initially stalled due to an alleged implication in a tax avoidance scheme, from which he was fully cleared four years ago. The 2013 Ingenious tax avoidance scheme, in which Beckham was one of 140 public figures reportedly involved, was eventually cleared by HMRC upon appeal in 2021, with sources close to Beckham asserting his lack of knowledge about the scheme at the time.

For two decades, Beckham has dedicated his efforts as a Unicef special ambassador. This year, his impactful work on children’s rights earned him the World Economic Foundation Crystal Award, an accolade recognizing artists who leverage their craft to improve the global state of affairs. In his acceptance speech at Davos, he passionately urged attendees to champion the rights of girls, emphasizing his desire for his 13-year-old daughter, Harper, to have the same opportunities as her three brothers, highlighting that girls are disproportionately hindered by poverty, violence, and discrimination. He stressed the need for "opportunities... collective action and... investment."

In May, it was also revealed that Beckham joined a nine-member consortium to take over Salford City Football Club, alongside his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville. Beckham shared their ambitious goal to elevate the League Two club to the Premier League, telling The Athletic, "I always dream big so I’m always going to want us to get to the pinnacle of football and be in the Premier League. But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point.”