Beckham to be awarded knighthood by King Charles: reports
LONDON - David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood by King Charles III next week in recognition of his football career and his charity work, reports said on Friday.
The former England football captain is set to be named in the King's Birthday Honours List, according to the BBC and other sources.
Other sporting figures who have been awarded the title include Beckham's former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, and British tennis great Andy Murray.
The Sun newspaper said he would take the title of "Sir" and his wife, Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham.
Beckham played 115 times for England as well as for a list of high-profile clubs, including United and Real Madrid.
He is currently the president and co-owner of the US team Inter Miami and co-owner of Salford City, who play in the fourth tier of English football.
The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 -- a lower award in Britain's honours system.
Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry.
David Beckham was last month named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential leaders in philanthropy.
He is an official ambassador for The King's Foundation, supporting its education programmes and "efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature" and has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005.
Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared.
In 2017, British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham criticised the honours system and the honours committee, according to the BBC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Embracing the role of a veteran: Onthatile Zulu looks ahead to the Nations Cup
South Africa's Onthatile Zulu will bring her experience from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to the SA squad that will take part in the FIH Nations Cup 2 in Poland later this month. | AFP Image: Juien de Rosa/AFP SA hockey star Onthatile Zulu is looking forward to her first big tournament experience since the Paris Olympics, as she embraces her role as one of the veterans in a young national team brimming with exciting talent. The SA women's national hockey team is gearing up for the FIH Women's Hockey Nations Cup 2 tournament in Poland from June 16 to 22 that includes Uruguay, Malaysia and hosts Poland. It is a platform for emerging national teams to showcase their talent on the international stage, with the opportunity to gain promotion to the FIH Nations Cup. 'Preparations are going well. Although I haven't been centralised with the team, playing league games weekly and training have helped me prepare physically and mentally,' said the 25-year-old hockey player who is based in Cape Town. 'I'm excited to head to an international competition, especially since the last big tournament dynamic I experienced was at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading That was a second Olympic Games, the other being Tokyo, for a player whose storied hockey journey has also taken her to a World Cup and Commonwealth Games. 'The Olympic experience has elevated my game and experience. Competing against the best allows you to perform better and has greatly enhanced my knowledge of the game and tactics,' she said. She admits that being one of the senior members of the team brings with it extra responsibility, 'but the most important thing for me is to do my best for the team and lead by example on the field'. Her 64 caps is second only to Quanita Bobbs (180) in a squad where three players – Cerian Fourie, Daniela de Oliveira and Shanna Mendonca – will be in line to make their debuts. Three others have less than 20 caps. Fellow Paris 2024 Olympians such as Edith Molikoe, Hannah Pearce, Ntsopa Mokoena, and Ongeziwe Mali also add valuable experience to head coach Inky Zondi's team. Zulu fondly recalls the role players like Celia Seerane, Lilian du Plessis and Erin Christie played in supporting her as a young player coming through the ranks and is ready to pay it forward. 'I've learnt that nothing will be given to you; you need to work hard for the team to add value and contribute to its success. Playing with pride for my country is also a big lesson I aim to pass on,' she said. Hockey has been a significant part of Zulu's life since she first stepped onto the field at 6 years old, and she has been representing South Africa since 2019. Hockey star Onthatile Zulu is gearing up for the HYROX Cape Town race next month. Image: Red Bull
eNCA
15 hours ago
- eNCA
Beckham to be awarded knighthood by King Charles: reports
LONDON - David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood by King Charles III next week in recognition of his football career and his charity work, reports said on Friday. The former England football captain is set to be named in the King's Birthday Honours List, according to the BBC and other sources. Other sporting figures who have been awarded the title include Beckham's former manager at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson, and British tennis great Andy Murray. The Sun newspaper said he would take the title of "Sir" and his wife, Victoria, a former member of the Spice Girls pop group, will be known as Lady Beckham. Beckham played 115 times for England as well as for a list of high-profile clubs, including United and Real Madrid. He is currently the president and co-owner of the US team Inter Miami and co-owner of Salford City, who play in the fourth tier of English football. The 50-year-old, who has long been in the running for a knighthood, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003 -- a lower award in Britain's honours system. Victoria later received the same award for services to the fashion industry. David Beckham was last month named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential leaders in philanthropy. He is an official ambassador for The King's Foundation, supporting its education programmes and "efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature" and has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005. Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. But UK authorities placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared. In 2017, British newspapers printed details of leaked emails in which Beckham criticised the honours system and the honours committee, according to the BBC.
TimesLIVE
16 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
US travel ban will not hinder Los Angeles Olympics, says LA28 CEO
US President Donald Trump's directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering the US exempts athletes, and LA28 officials said on Thursday they were confident the Olympic Games have the full backing of the administration. Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday as part of an immigration crackdown he said was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats. "The important thing for us is the federal government and the administration recognised the importance of the Olympics," LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover told Reuters on Thursday. "There is a carve-out in the order in the travel ban that allows for and assures there will be access to the Games for the athletes and their families and officials. We will be able to have a wide-open Games." The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
