David Beckham THE KING'S MAN

THE SOCCER STAR HAS BECOME INDISPENSABLE TO THE SOVERIGN, BUT IS IT ALL LEADING TOWARDS AN END GAME?

- Kylie Walters

He's often referred to as royalty himself - of the sporting kind - but David Beckham has always shown deference to the real thing. The British soccer great is immensely proud of his relationship with the Windsors.

“I always get emotional talking about anything that I do with our royal family, because I've always been a huge royalist,” the 49-year-old admitted as he started to tear up while being interviewed on stage at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January. “I was brought up in a household that adored and loved everything that came with the royal family.”

David has been rubbing shoulders with royalty since at least 2010, when he joined Prince William and Prince Harry at a Football Association event in Johannesburg.

In June 2024, he was named as an ambassador for Charles III's charity, the King's Foundation, after being invited to Highgrove to meet with His Majesty, 76. The appointment helped gain public trust back after a cash-for-access scandal had tarnished the foundation's image. Upon hearing the news, his mum, Sandra “burst into tears” of pride.