The 50-year-old football legend and former England captain David Beckham has been honoured with a knighthood. He was joined by his wife, Victoria, and his parents at the investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, according to multiple media reports.
Beckham, who was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours earlier this year for his services to football and charity, said the occasion was deeply emotional, and the “proudest moment” of his career.
“To be honest, a young boy from the East End of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honoured by his majesty the king… it’s quite a moment,” he said.
“I have been lucky to work with incredible organisations like UNICEF, the Royal Foundation and the King’s Foundation who have taught me how important it is to support children, to help them fulfil their potential and to inspire the next generation,” shared Beckham in his post on Instagram.
[See more: David Beckham talks food, football and his new namesake suites in Macao]
The sporting hero, who has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2005, said he realised early on that his fame gave him a “powerful tool” for charitable work.
“I just found very quickly that we could make change with things that I said and things that I got involved in,” he explained.
Beckham, who is the global ambassador of Sands Resorts Macao, is a frequent visitor to the SAR.
He was most recently in town during the NBA China Games last month in October, when he was a speaker at a fireside chat moderated by former NBA All-Star Vince Carter, appearing alongside Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai and president and COO of Las Vegas Sands Patrick Dumont.
