David Beckham was knighted by King Charles III, which the retired British soccer star said was his “proudest moment”.
The former England football captain was knighted for his services to sport and charity at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, with Japanese-British author and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro and West End and Broadway star Elaine Page also receiving the honour.
Beckham was named in the King’s Birthday Honors list earlier this year.
“Obviously I’ve been lucky in my career to have been able to win what I’ve won and do what I’ve done, but to receive a knighthood like this is beyond anything I ever thought I would receive,” Beckham told Britain’s PA media news agency after the ceremony.
“Honestly, it’s a great pleasure for a boy who was born in Leytonstone, in the east end of London, and who was born here at Windsor Castle, to be honored by the most important and most respected institution in the world, His Majesty the King,” he added.
Beckham was accompanied by his wife Victoria, who made the suit he wore to accept the award.
The father-of-four said the king had been “quite an inspiration” for his appearance over the years. “I saw an old photo of him when he was younger in a morning suit and thought, ‘Okay, this is what I want to wear,’ so I gave it to my wife and she did it for me.”
He added that King Charles was “very impressed” with his suit.
The honor comes more than 20 years after the 50-year-old, who played 115 international matches and won league titles in four countries for England, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
Beckham, who retired from professional soccer in 2013, also serves as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. In 2015, he launched the 7 Foundation, named after the number on Manchester United’s shirt, to help children at risk, including the Ebola crisis.
He made a notable return to soccer in 2018 by acquiring a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, Florida and founding the football club Inter Miami.
Beckham has a good relationship with King Charles, and last year they exchanged “beekeeping tips” in England’s Cotswolds when he was appointed ambassador for the King’s Foundation.
CNN’s Max Foster contributed to this report.
