David Beckham, a former captain of England and co-owner of Inter Miami, stood in line with thousands of others to pay his respect to the long-reigning queen on Friday for more than 13 hours.
As mourners wait in a long line to see the queen’s coffin one last time at Westminster Hall before her funeral on Monday, Beckham, 47, was spotted in the line.
When television cameras questioned him on Friday afternoon, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder claimed he had been waiting since around 2.15 a.m. BST.
He mentioned sharing crisps, candy, and donuts with his colleague line-waiters to keep everyone’s energy levels up.
David Beckham, who had multiple encounters with the queen over her 70-year reign, was captured on camera at Westminster Hall appearing emotional as he waited to pass by her casket. Around 3.25 p.m. BST, Beckham stopped by the casket to pay his respects. He briefly closed his eyes.
David Beckham Queues For More Than 13 Hours To See Queen Elizabeth II’s Coffin:
In 2003, the queen awarded David Beckham with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to football. Beckham expressed joy in singing “God Save The Queen” before England matches.
Between 1996 and 2009, Beckham played 115 times for England and scored 17 goals while competing in three World Cups.
Before retiring in 2013, he had an illustrious career playing for United, Madrid, the LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain. He also won the Champions League and six Premier League championships.
ITV News quoted Beckham as saying that he grew up in a family of royalists, and he was raised that way. Beckham said that if his grandparents [had] been in it today, he knows that they would have wanted to be here, and therefore, he came there on their behalf, on behalf of my family, and certainly to celebrate with everyone else here.