David Beckham's knighthood hopes mocked by Sir Rod Stewart in front of King Charles

Sir Rod Stewart couldn't help but make a playful dig at David Beckham during a recent regal gathering, hinting at the football legend's absence of a knighthood.

His Majesty King Charles III was chuffed to have Beckham at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening.

The ex-England captain, 49, has been announced as an ambassador for the King's Foundation following a bonding over their mutual fondness for homegrown honey.

The star-studded event saw the likes of Naomi Campbell, Sir Rod Stewart with Penny Lancaster, and Sienna Miller in attendance.

In a light-hearted moment, Sir Rod, knighted in 2016, quipped: "Penny and I are so honoured to be ambassadors for the King's trust. I'm also wonderfully honoured to be a knight. David, yours is coming soon."

Following his jest about Beckham, Sir Rod told reporters at the soiree: "Someone has to lighten the atmosphere in the room you know he's a good sport."

Beckham himself has not yet responded to the roasting.

Despite Beckham's notable absence from the New Year's Honours list at the close of 2023, other sports figures like Mary Earps and Peter Shilton were recognised.

Beckham notably endured a marathon 13-hour queue to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, but it seems this act of respect didn't quite sway King Charles to include him in the 2024 honours roll call.

Even though he was exonerated following the Ingenious tax avoidance scandal in 2013, and later reinstated on the official recommendations list in 2022, Beckham's knightly aspirations could still be hampered by leaked emails from 2017.

These emails laid bare his dissatisfaction with the honours committee, whom he dubbed as "unappreciative c***s" and his lack of enthusiasm to win the knighthood honour, even going so far as to say: "I expected nothing less. It's a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would of got something like this 10 years ago."

What's more, he seemed to question Welsh songstress Katherine Jenkins' accolade received in 2014, furiously questioning: "For what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops."

However, it's not just the damning email leaks that are putting the brakes on Golden Balls transitioning into Sir David Beckham.

The ex-England captain also recently faced criticism over his choice to become an ambassador for Qatar, a move set to bag him £150 million over ten years.

Comedian Joe Lycett even urged Becks to rethink this decision, creating a dramatic spectacle by acting like he was shredding £10,000 on stage last year before unveiling that it was a hoax and that the cash had been donated to LGBTQ+ charities.

Josh Cavallo, an Aussie football star and the only openly gay top-tier male player, reacted to his Man of the Year award win at the Attitude awards by playfully shouting "Take that David Beckham".

The magazine, which put the former Manchester United star on its cover back in 2002, also threw shade at the Beckham over his decision.

The rapid downfall of Beckham's status did not go unnoticed, as editor-in-chief Cliff Joannou reflected: "It's a reminder that being an advocate for not just LGBTQ+ rights, but women's rights, immigrant workers' rights... and any human rights should not be lip service. It's not a trend to boost a person's profile.

"Human rights are not a fashion statement, they are real issues that affect the livelihood of billions of vulnerable people around the country.

"Joe Lycett's prank worked to highlight the flippant attitude David Beckham has to human rights. And what price tag he had in order to turn a blind eye to the corruption that awarded Qatar the World Cup by Fifa.

"It all amounts to making this year's so-called 'beautiful game' a truly ugly moment for sport."

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