David Beckham, the former England soccer captain and current Inter Miami co-owner, was formally knighted this month for his contribution to sports and his charity work. Britain’s Royal Family posted a video on social media of King Charles III knighting Beckham at Windsor Castle.
“To be honest, a young boy from the East End of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honored by His Majesty the king — the most important and the most respected institution in the world — it’s quite a moment,” Beckham said.
Beckham, his wife, Victoria, and his parents, Ted and Sandra, posed for photos outside the castle after the ceremony.
How do you get a knighthood?
In the modern age, knighthoods are conferred by the British Royal Family upon citizens who have achieved great success in their fields and served their country in one way or another.
“Recipients range from actors to scientists, and from school head teachers to industrialists,” the royal family’s website says. It might now add “impossibly handsome and famous ex-football stars.” Those conferred with a knighthood get the title “sir.”
Let’s hear the credentials of Beckham, er, Sir David.
Beckham, 50, was a brilliant soccer player, most memorably for Manchester United and England’s national team. His famous right foot had the uncanny ability to curl balls through the air and into the net, inspiring the title of the 2002 film, “Bend it Like Beckham.”
His post-football career has included co-ownership of Inter Miami. He has been a UNICEF ambassador, and his charisma helped London secure hosting duties for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
In 2003, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, a common starter title on the path to knighthood.
Who else bears the exalted title of knight?
A few thousand folks, some of whom you have probably heard of.
A sampling: Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton; tennis player Andy Murray; actors Michael Caine and Anthony Hopkins, singers Elton John and Mick Jagger; and former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major.
The female equivalent is dame, and its bearers include media mogul Anna Wintour and actresses Emma Thompson, Judi Dench and Julie Andrews.
Isn’t Beckham chummy with the royals?
Yes. Princes William and Harry, the sons of the king and both big sports fans, have hung out with Beckham, who attended their weddings. He has done charity work with Charles as well.
Beckham waited in line with the general public for 12 hours to pay his respects when Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lay in state at Westminster Hall in 2022.
Still, emails from 2013 leaked to the British news media showed that Beckham had grown frustrated with his wait for a knighthood.
So I guess he’s going to sit at the roundtable with Lancelot now.
Knighthoods, which date to the Roman era in Britain, are most closely associated with the Middle Ages, when knights were trained in battle and protected the sovereign. (The royal family notes that a knighthood currently “carries no military obligations to the sovereign.”)
The quasi-mythical King Arthur had his famous crew of Bedivere, Galahad and Gawain. But in modern times, knights participate in significantly less questing.
More important: What does this mean for Posh?
Beckham’s wife, Victoria, the pop singer and fashion designer perhaps best known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, also gets a title and will henceforth be known as Lady Beckham. She, too, has an OBE, for “services to the fashion industry.” No word on future titles for Scary, Ginger, Sporty or Baby Spice.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
