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David Beckham might appear to have it all, but there is one goal that has remained elusive- scoring a highly coveted knighthood.
The soccer great is widely reported to have waged a decades-long campaign for the award, which has seen him come up empty handed.
However, a big announcement regarding this was just made in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Does David Beckham have a knighthood?
Sir David Beckham was awarded a Knighthood in the King’s Birthday’s Honours list on June 14, 2025.
He was awarded due to his services to sport and charity.
“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,” he said in a statement after the list was released.
“To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true.
“Off the pitch I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment.
“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.”
The award came after British newspaper The Sun reported that the King and David were even seen discussing it at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, when David attended for the unveiling of the King’s Rose named in the monarch’s honour.
The meeting came shortly after the sportsman had celebrated his milestone 50th birthday.
“You got it, didn’t you?” the King asked about a birthday gift he’d sent. “It was incredible,” Beckham said. “Thank you, it was very kind.”
The Sun revealed that letters inviting recipients to accept honours were sent out at this time.
How did Victoria Beckham react to David’s knighthood?
Receiving the award means that he becomes Sir David Beckham, while his wife will become known as Lady Beckham– isn’t that posh!
The former Spice Girl and fashion designer couldn’t hide her pride over her husbands achievement.
“You’ve always been my knight in shining armour, but now it’s official,” Victoria posted on Instagram following the announcement along with a photo of the pair.
“Sir @davidbeckham!!! What an honour, I couldn’t be prouder of you. Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered. The way you’ve touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday. But above all else, I’m so, so proud to call you mine. I love you so much xxxx”.
How does David Beckham know the British royal family?
He’s often referred to as royalty himself – of the sporting kind – but David Beckham has always shown deference to the real thing. The British soccer great is immensely proud of his relationship with the Windsors.
“I always get emotional talking about anything that I do with our royal family, because I’ve always been a huge royalist,” he admitted as he started to tear up while being interviewed on stage at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
“I was brought up in a household that adored and loved everything that came with the royal family.”
David has been rubbing shoulders with royalty since at least 2010, when he joined Prince William and Prince Harry at a Football Association event in Johannesburg.
In June 2024, he was named as an ambassador for Charles III’s charity, the King’s Foundation, after being invited to Highgrove to meet with His Majesty, 76. The appointment helped gain public trust back after a cash-for-access scandal had tarnished the foundation’s image. Upon hearing the news, his mum, Sandra “burst into tears” of pride.
The athlete also has a strong bond with the Prince of Wales, 42, coming on board a project to help raise funds for London’s Air Ambulance Service alongside William in 2024.
“Whenever the Prince of Wales sends me a message and says, ‘I need you to do this,’ or ‘Be there,’ it’s always a ‘yes’,” he said.
Why did David Beckham fall out with Prince Harry?
It’s not always smooth sailing, however, with the Beckhams believed to have a complicated relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While David and Victoria appeared close with Harry and Meghan, the couples had already fallen out by the time the Beckhams attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, Tom Bower stated in House of Beckham.
While the biographer revealed David and Victoria had let Meghan, 43, stay at one of their US homes and sent her plenty of freebies from the former Spice Girl’s label, they fell out after the soon-to-be duchess mistakenly believed Posh was leaking stories about her to the British tabloids.
“Meghan appeared to want to punish the Beckhams,” Bower wrote of why they attended Harry and Meghan’s daytime wedding ceremony but weren’t invited to the more intimate night-time reception.
However, David jetted to Sydney just months later to support Harry at the Invictus Games after the prince asked for his help, only to discover the duke refused to meet or be pictured with him. “She did not want any competition in the media from Beckham, and especially not from his wife, Victoria,” Bower claimed of Meghan.
The tiff hasn’t lessened any of David’s love for the monarchy. In September 2022, he queued for over 13 hours to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth as she laid in state. He won widespread respect for joining the general public and not using his star status for special treatment as many celebrities had.
Why did it take so long for David Beckham to receive a knighthood?
There are many who think, however, that his actions aren’t just for love of the royal family and are all leading towards an end game – becoming Sir David Beckham, thanks to a knighthood from the King.
He was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his contributions to football in 2003, but for years the coveted top honour remained elusive.
David seemingly expressed his disappointment in a series of controversial leaked emails in 2017, calling the selection committee “c–ts”, although his team said the documents were doctored.
However, his status as the current King’s unofficial right-hand man and his close ties with the next sovereign appear to have boded well after he was finally awarded a knighthood in June 2025.
