LONDON – When it came time to receive a knighthood, football great David Beckham knew what to do. He bent his knee like Beckham.
King Charles III tapped his shoulder with the blade of his sword and “Bex” turned into Sir David Beckham.
“This is without a doubt my proudest moment,” Beckham said after Tuesday's ceremony at Windsor Castle. “I've obviously been lucky in my career to have won what I've won and done what I've done, but to receive an honor like this as a knight is beyond anything I ever thought I'd get.”
The award marks the culmination of Beckham's efforts to rehabilitate his image after events that at times alienated him from fans during his long and distinguished career. He also had a very public persona as a fashion model, the husband of the Spice Girls' Victoria “Posh” Beckham, and the muse of the film Bend It Like Beckham.
The 50-year-old was knighted for his services to sport and charity, having worked for two decades with UNICEF, the UN children's fund, and campaigned with a charity working to eradicate malaria. He also played a key role in London being awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Nobel Prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro, author of The Remains of the Day and previously knighted, was named an Honorary Companion in Literature at a ceremony on Tuesday. Acclaimed musical singer and actress Elaine Paige received a damehood, the female equivalent of a knighthood.
Beckham is the only English footballer to score at three different World Cups and his career included the treble-winning campaign in 1999 when Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
With 115 England caps, Beckham is third on the all-time list. He also captained the team 59 times.
Since leaving Manchester United in 2003 – a move that devastated fans – Beckham has played for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain. He is now a co-owner of the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
His career hit a low point at the 1998 World Cup in France, where Beckham was widely criticized for his petulant hit on Argentina's Diego Simeone, which resulted in him being sent off and the team short-handed. Many fans blamed him for leaving the England team.
In the 2023 Netflix documentary series Beckham, he described the abuse he suffered, including an image of him suspended from a noose outside a London pub.
“I knew it was bad at the time, but it was quite difficult to make sense of it all,” he told The Associated Press at the time.
Beckham's knighthood was announced in June during the King's birthday ceremony. The awards, which are also given out on New Year's Day, recognize contributions to British life.
