January 9 – Arise Sir David! Former England captain David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood in King Charles’ Birthday Honours, with the list of recipients expected to be published next week.
Beckham, 50, already holds an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award from 2003. Now, 23 years later, he’ll receive the ultimate royal accolade following a career that saw him earn 115 England caps and play for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.
The footballer was reportedly first nominated for a knighthood in 2011, but the process hit turbulence in 2017 when leaked emails allegedly showed Beckham’s frustration with the honours system. One message reportedly read: “It is a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would have got something like this 10 years ago.”
Beckham’s representatives called the emails ‘hacked, ‘doctored’, and ‘private’ at the time.
Beyond his playing career, Beckham has established himself as a pillar of English society through extensive charitable work. He played a role in securing the London 2012 Olympics and has served as a UNICEF ambassador since 2005. The David Beckham UNICEF Fund launched in 2015 to mark their decade-long partnership.
More recently, Beckham became an ambassador for The King’s Foundation in 2024, supporting King Charles’ education programmes and efforts to connect young people with nature. He also helped establish the Inter Miami CF Foundation, a community-driven nonprofit that uses football to empower underserved communities.
“He is a great ambassador for football and the country,” said former England teammate Wayne Rooney. “We all see the charity work that he has done for many years, and I’m sure he will continue to do that. Globally he is a massive icon for any charity to work alongside, and he makes everyone proud by raising a lot of money over the years.”
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