Latest news with #NewYear'sHonours

1News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- 1News
David Beckham to be awarded a knighthood by King Charles
David Beckham, the former England football captain who has been an ambassador for the UN children's fund for two decades, is to receive a knighthood in next week's honours list from King Charles III, according to UK media reports. Without citing sources, the BBC said Beckham is set to receive further recognition both for his soccer career and his contributions to British society. The knighthood will make Beckham 'Sir David,' while his wife, since 1999, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, will become 'Lady Beckham.' In 2003, Beckham was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, for services to soccer. Victoria Beckham got the same honour for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year's Honours list. Honours are awarded twice a year, once at New Year's and then in June to mark the king's birthday. They are mostly made on the recommendation of the government, though the monarch has input too. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office would not confirm the press reports, as is custom. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. The Associated Press has not been able to independently confirm the award of the knighthood, which was first reported in The Sun tabloid newspaper. ADVERTISEMENT In video footage published by The Sun from the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this month, the king is seen asking Beckham if he 'received his 50th birthday present'. The King appeared to say 'I'm glad it got to you', with Beckham responding: 'It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind.' Beckham and the king have crossed paths on numerous occasions, including at state functions. Last year, Beckham became an ambassador for The King's Foundation, an educational and sustainability charity Charles launched in 1990. Beckham, who is clearly a patriot, is the only English footballer to score at three different World Cups, and his illustrious career included the treble-winning campaign of 1999, when Manchester United won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. With 115 appearances for the England national team, Beckham is third in the all-time list. He also captained the side on 59 occasions. After leaving Manchester United 2003, Beckham played for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain. He now co-owns the MLS team Inter Miami. His career wasn't always high, though. After the 1998 World Cup in France, Beckham was widely vilified for his petulant kick of Argentina player Diego Simeone, which saw him sent off. Many fans blamed him for England's exit. In 2023's Netflix documentary series Beckham, he described the abuse he experienced, which included an effigy of him hanging from a noose outside a London pub. ADVERTISEMENT 'I knew it was bad at the time, but going over that whole thing was quite a tough one,' he told the AP. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham has been a style icon and celebrity and has been a prominent supporter of charities, including UNICEF, which created The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in 2015 to mark a decade's partnership between the two. Beckham also played a pivotal role in London being awarded the Summer Olympic Games in 2012. If the knighthood is confirmed, Beckham would join an elite group of British football players to have been knighted, including England's 1966 World Cup winners, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton, and Scotland's Kenny Dalglish.

The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
David Beckham to be awarded knighthood, as per reports
The former England captain will appear on the list due to be released next week, the Sun reported, having previously been awarded an OBE in 2003. Beckham, who played for his country 115 times and has carried out extensive charity work, has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade. The Unicef goodwill ambassador, who turned 50 in May, would take on the title of Sir and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, would become Lady Beckham. King Charles and Queen Camilla meet David Beckham at the Chelsea Flower Show (Paul Grover/Daily Telegraph) (PA) He had been on the verge of receiving a knighthood in the 2014 New Year's Honours list but HM Revenue and Customs placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. Speculation that Beckham was in line for a knighthood grew after he announced his retirement from football in 2013. Footage published by the Sun shows the King asking Beckham if he 'received his 50th birthday present', during a conversation at the Chelsea Flower Show last month. The King appeared to say 'I'm glad it got to you', with Beckham responding: 'It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind'. The Queen was then heard telling Beckham: 'I'm glad you got the roses.' Manchester United's Eric Cantona (right) and David Beckham celebrate after Beckham scores the winning goal (Laurence Griffiths/PA) Beckham is the only Englishman to score at three different World Cups and his career included the treble-winning campaign of 1998-99, when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He earned the third highest number of England caps of all time for the men's team, and was captain on 59 occasions. After playing for United, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Madrid, Beckham turned to making his co-owned US team Inter Miami into a success. The former winger married Victoria, also known as Posh Spice, in 1999. Together the power couple starred in the Netflix documentary Beckham – which included a viral scene of her discussing class. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham was given his OBE for services to football on the recommendation of then-prime minister Tony Blair. His wife Victoria got the same honour for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year Honours list.


The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
David Beckham to be awarded knighthood, as per reports
Beckham, who played for his country 115 times and has carried out extensive charity work, has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade. The Unicef goodwill ambassador, who turned 50 in May, would take on the title of Sir and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, would become Lady Beckham. King Charles and Queen Camilla meet David Beckham at the Chelsea Flower Show (Paul Grover/Daily Telegraph) (PA) He had been on the verge of receiving a knighthood in the 2014 New Year's Honours list but HM Revenue and Customs placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. Speculation that Beckham was in line for a knighthood grew after he announced his retirement from football in 2013. Footage published by the Sun shows the King asking Beckham if he 'received his 50th birthday present', during a conversation at the Chelsea Flower Show last month. The King appeared to say 'I'm glad it got to you', with Beckham responding: 'It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind'. The Queen was then heard telling Beckham: 'I'm glad you got the roses.' Manchester United's Eric Cantona (right) and David Beckham celebrate after Beckham scores the winning goal (Laurence Griffiths/PA) Beckham is the only Englishman to score at three different World Cups and his career included the treble-winning campaign of 1998-99, when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He earned the third highest number of England caps of all time for the men's team, and was captain on 59 occasions. After playing for United, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Madrid, Beckham turned to making his co-owned US team Inter Miami into a success. The former winger married Victoria, also known as Posh Spice, in 1999. Together the power couple starred in the Netflix documentary Beckham – which included a viral scene of her discussing class. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham was given his OBE for services to football on the recommendation of then-prime minister Tony Blair. His wife Victoria got the same honour for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year Honours list.


North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
David Beckham to be awarded knighthood, reports suggests
The former England captain will appear on the list due to be released next week, the Sun reported, having previously been awarded an OBE in 2003. Beckham, who played for his country 115 times and has carried out extensive charity work, has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade. The Unicef goodwill ambassador, who turned 50 in May, would take on the title of Sir and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, would become Lady Beckham. He had been on the verge of receiving a knighthood in the 2014 New Year's Honours list but HM Revenue and Customs placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. Speculation that Beckham was in line for a knighthood grew after he announced his retirement from football in 2013. Footage published by the Sun shows the King asking Beckham if he 'received his 50th birthday present', during a conversation at the Chelsea Flower Show last month. The King appeared to say 'I'm glad it got to you', with Beckham responding: 'It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind'. The Queen was then heard telling Beckham: 'I'm glad you got the roses.' Beckham is the only Englishman to score at three different World Cups and his career included the treble-winning campaign of 1998-99, when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He earned the third highest number of England caps of all time for the men's team, and was captain on 59 occasions. After playing for United, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Madrid, Beckham turned to making his co-owned US team Inter Miami into a success. The former winger married Victoria, also known as Posh Spice, in 1999. Together the power couple starred in the Netflix documentary Beckham – which included a viral scene of her discussing class. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham was given his OBE for services to football on the recommendation of then-prime minister Tony Blair. His wife Victoria got the same honour for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year Honours list.


South Wales Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
David Beckham to be awarded knighthood, reports suggests
The former England captain will appear on the list due to be released next week, the Sun reported, having previously been awarded an OBE in 2003. Beckham, who played for his country 115 times and has carried out extensive charity work, has been in the running for a knighthood for more than a decade. The Unicef goodwill ambassador, who turned 50 in May, would take on the title of Sir and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, would become Lady Beckham. He had been on the verge of receiving a knighthood in the 2014 New Year's Honours list but HM Revenue and Customs placed a red flag on his nomination due to his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. Speculation that Beckham was in line for a knighthood grew after he announced his retirement from football in 2013. Footage published by the Sun shows the King asking Beckham if he 'received his 50th birthday present', during a conversation at the Chelsea Flower Show last month. The King appeared to say 'I'm glad it got to you', with Beckham responding: 'It was incredible, thank you, it was very kind'. The Queen was then heard telling Beckham: 'I'm glad you got the roses.' Beckham is the only Englishman to score at three different World Cups and his career included the treble-winning campaign of 1998-99, when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He earned the third highest number of England caps of all time for the men's team, and was captain on 59 occasions. After playing for United, Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Madrid, Beckham turned to making his co-owned US team Inter Miami into a success. The former winger married Victoria, also known as Posh Spice, in 1999. Together the power couple starred in the Netflix documentary Beckham – which included a viral scene of her discussing class. The four-part documentary series about Beckham's life and professional career scored him an Emmy in 2024 for outstanding documentary or non-fiction series. Beckham was given his OBE for services to football on the recommendation of then-prime minister Tony Blair. His wife Victoria got the same honour for services to the fashion industry in a later New Year Honours list.