Should David Beckham get a knighthood?

Rod Stewart joked David Beckham's knighthood was "coming soon". It got everyone talking about whether the world-famous football star should get a knighthood.

To get a knighthood is one of the highest honours in the UK, honoured to those who have made a significant contribution in their field on a national level.

It's been more than 20 years since the retired footballer was honoured with an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2003 for services to football. For Beckham, it remains a super special memory.

There has been a flurry of excitement from fans over the years whether Beckham will get a knighthood or not as he is an inspiration and a British sporting icon. Beckham has been very vocal of his own admiration of the royal family and it is no secret that he would like to be knighted.

What do you think, should Beckham get a knighthood? Cast your vote in our poll below.

The King’s Foundation's ambassador

Beckham has close ties with the Royal Family. The former footballer was pictured laughing and having fun with the king at the monarch's Highgrove home in Gloucestershire in recent weeks when Beckham was announced as the ambassador for The King’s Foundation.

Everyone wanted to know what they were laughing about and Beckham revealed they were bonding over their shared passion – beekeeping tips!

He said: "It was inspiring to hear from His Majesty about the foundation’s projects and ambitions during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens…

"As someone who grew up in London but has developed a love of the countryside, I’m looking forward to supporting the foundation’s education programmes and efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature and we shared beekeeping tips!"

The foundation was set up by the King when he was the Prince of Wales.

Read more: Sir Rod Stewart makes David Beckham joke at King's Foundation awards - as celebrities support royal initiative (Sky news, 2-min read)

Beckham's sister Jo shared a sweet message beneath her brother's Instagram post. She wrote: "Who would have ever thought my brother would be standing laughing with the king ! These pictures are amazing ! So So proud of you and everything you do."

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said in a statement: "We are delighted to welcome David Beckham to The King’s Foundation family as an ambassador. We look forward to working with David over the coming months and years, to share the good work of the foundation with a wider audience."

Fans called for the star to get a knighthood in the comments, with someone writing: "SIR DAVID BECKHAM." Among them, another person wrote: "About time he was Sir David Beckham."

More people added to the conversation writing: "I love that he is a fan of the royals !! They all do amazing work .... Won't be long till he will be sir David."

"No one deserves it more. When you stood in line for hours to pay your respects to the Queen you showed your integrity and love of country."

"David Beckham is a great ambassador for this country."

"Well done David , you’re a fantastic human being , who can dance a bit , arise Sir David xx."

"I respect your loyalty to your country. It is admirable. I think you will really enjoy getting to know more about nature. Good luck with the bees glad you had a good chat with King Charles!"

Last year, Beckham gifted the King a jar of honey from his hives at home. The beekeeper presented the monarch with the gift on British Fashion Council Foundation Impact Day in May 2023.

Beckham's love for beekeeping was first born in lockdown. Netflix documentary BECKHAM which gave viewers a look inside the star's life showed the football manager wearing beekeeping attire as he tended to his bees at his countryside home. Those who avidly follow Beckham's Instagram know he shares videos of him working on his hives and marking World Bee Day.

Waiting in the line for the Queen

The nation was moved when we saw Beckham queuing alongside the public for more than 13 hours to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in 2022. Meanwhile, other celebrities including Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were accused of skipping the queue.

At the time, the former footballer said it was "special" to be in the queue and he was seen wiping away tears.

He told reporters at the time: "So this day was always going to be difficult, and it's difficult for the nation, it's difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today. Because it's special to be here, to celebrate, and to hear the different stories that people have to say."

Beckham said receiving his OBE from the Queen was "the most special moment" for him. He spoke about this moment he shared with the Queen while queuing to pay his respects.

He elaborated: "The most special moment for me was to receive my OBE. I took my grandparents with me, who were the ones that really brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the royal family, and obviously I had my wife there as well.

"To step up, to get my honour, but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk, I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life, to be around Her Majesty.

"Because we can all see with the love that has been shown, how special she is and how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind. It's a sad day, but it's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she's left."

Despite his show of respect, Beckham was overlooked in the New Year's honours list that year.

Sporting heroes do get knighthoods

Sporting stars are often popular choices for the enviable list, with Jason Kenny and Lewis Hamilton receiving knighthoods in recent years. Footballers getting a knighthood isn't something new, although it has been more rare in recent years.

Beckham's mentor at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson was honoured a knighthood in 1999. Kenny Dalglish was the last male footballer to receive a knighthood in 2018. His honour was for his "services to football, charity, and the city of Liverpool".

Controversy

So why has Beckham been overlooked for a knighthood so far?

In 2013, there were reports of leaked emails where Beckham allegedly appeared frustrated he hadn't received a knighthood. It was revealed Beckham was one of the celebrities who allegedly invested in a scheme that HMRC considered "tax avoidance" and HMRC successfully challenged the scheme, as reported by the BBC at the time in 2017.

In 2018, The Times reported tax avoiders were blocked from honours in secret memo. It's not known if this is why Beckham has been overlooked for a knighthood in the past.

Additionally in the same year he lined up for to pay respects for the Queen, the former England captain was under fire for his ambassadorial role at Qatar at the World Cup 2022. People were critical because same-sex relationships are illegal in Qatar.

Comedian Joe Lycett was very vocal and pretended to shred £10,000 in protest, although he later confirmed he hadn't destroyed the money and instead donated it to charity.

Beckham defended his role as he told Sky Sports at the time: "I had a lot of conversations with the LGBTQ community when I was there and they said they'd been treated perfectly fine. They felt it was the safest World Cup they have had for a long time."