David Beckham knighted by the King as Victoria beams with pride

David Beckham has officially swapped football boots for a sword tap as the 50 year old sports icon was knighted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, a crowning moment decades in the making.

"I couldn’t be prouder," Beckham said, beaming after the ceremony. 

“Everyone knows how patriotic I am. I love my country. I’ve always said how important the monarchy is to my family. 

I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world, and everywhere I go, people want to talk about our monarchy. It fills me with pride.”

Named on the King’s Birthday Honours list earlier this year, Beckham knelt before the monarch in a touching ceremony at Berkshire’s royal residence, receiving his long awaited knighthood for services to football and charity.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder who racked up 115 England caps and captained the national team for six years has enjoyed a career as glittering as his free kicks. 

But it’s his off-pitch legacy that earned him this royal salute. The East London born star helped bring the 2012 Olympics to London and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005, launching the “7 Fund” a decade later to support children in need worldwide. 

More recently, he joined forces with King Charles as an ambassador for The King’s Foundation, championing education and nature initiatives for young people.

These days, Sir David divides his time between football ownership (with Salford City and Inter Miami) and philanthropy.