David Beckham has received a knighthood from King Charles III at Windsor Castle, in a moment the world-famous footballer has described as "so special".
The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder was earlier this year named on the King's Birthday Honours list, but officially received the recognition on Tuesday, local time.
The title also means his wife, Victoria Beckham, fashion designer and former member of the Spice Girls, will now be known as Lady Beckham.
Sir David and the monarch shared a brief but warm exchange during the ceremony, with the king seen smiling and laughing as they spoke.
Speaking to the media after being knighted, Sir David spoke of his joy and pride since finding out he had been named in the King's Birthday Honours.
"I cried when I first found out, and probably for a few months after it as well," he said.
"It's been not stressful, I've not been nervous, just emotional. I get that from my mum.
"I think it's because of the journey, it's such a big moment for my family. It's so special."
Sir David also spoke about how the new title was "going to take some getting used to", joking that he would be fine with his children calling him "Sir Dad".
The midfielder, who played 115 games for England, also took the moment to reflect on his life journey.
"I grew up in a very humble background in the east of London, always wanting to be a professional footballer," he said.
"And then I'm stood here at Windsor Castle with the most important monarchy in the world, and getting knighted, so it doesn't get much better."
Outside of football, Sir David is also credited with helping secure London's rights to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
He has also dedicated time to charity work, including for UNICEF since 2005.
Last year, he became an ambassador for the King's Foundation, which works with young people to promote a better understanding of nature.
Born in east London, Sir David made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 1995, two years after he joined as a trainee. He went on to win six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with the club, before playing for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
He retired from football in 2013.
Known for his precise free kicks and crossing ability, Sir David became one of the most commercially successful athletes of his era.
He has worked with brands such as Adidas, luxury brand Armani, high-street retailer H&M and Pepsi PEP.O and has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2005.
According to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, Sir David and his wife have a combined net worth of 500 million pounds ($1 billion).
'Huge royalist'
Sir David has long expressed admiration for the royal family, describing himself as a "huge royalist".
In 2022, Sir David queued for more than 12 hours to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state at Westminster Hall, declining offers to skip the line.
"I grew up in a household of royalists," he told ITV at the time. "If my grandparents would have been [alive] today, I know that they would have wanted to be here."
He attended both Prince William's 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton and Prince Harry's 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.
Sir David has also developed a personal rapport with the king, sharing a mutual interest in gardening.
The footballer married Victoria Adams, known as "Posh Spice" within the former Britpop girl group, in 1999. The couple have four children.
They opened up about their relationship in two Netflix documentaries. The series touched on the pressures of fame, family tensions and the challenges they faced during Sir David's playing career, including tabloid speculation and time spent apart due to his international transfers.
Sir David has described his family as his "greatest achievement".
