Legendary soccer player David Beckham tried not to attract any attention as he joined the thousands waiting hours upon hours to say farewell to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Beckham slipped into the long line alone — around 2 a.m. local time — with no fanfare and without the other members of his family, waiting in the queue just like everyone else.
Just an ordinary bloke: David Beckham queued for more than 12 hours to pay his respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state. And he bought donuts. #davidbeckham pic.twitter.com/LcAENhsRP1
— Angela Bishop OAM (@AngelaBishop) September 17, 2022
He was able to keep a low profile at first — but even after fans began to recognize him, he said he would not sign any autographs or pose for photos until after he had paid his respects to Her Majesty. According to several reports, the soccer star even bought donuts for those who were nearest to him in the line.
“Something like this today is meant to be shared together,” Beckham explained. “We’re eating Pringles, we’re eating sherbert lemons, we’re eating sandwiches, having coffee, donuts.”
Beckham was later spotted making his way in to view the late queen’s coffin, appearing to wipe away tears as he walked through Westminster Hall to pay his respects.
David Beckham pays tribute to the Queen at Westminster Hall.
He appeared emotional as he wiped away tears as he approached the monarch's coffin.
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“My best friends Mum has been directly in front of him the whole time and he’s been queueing so far for ten hours just like her,” one woman tweeted. “My friends Mum says he joined the queue at about 2 am. He’s bought the people around him donuts.”
She later added that Beckham, who initially said no to photos with fans who were waiting in line with him, “agreed to have pictures once he has paid his respects to Her Majesty.”
“Without being all ‘Wah, it’s actually hard to be a celebrity,’ for David Beckham to come alone, and queue for ten hours, when everyone would recognise him, is pretty ballsy. GOLDENBALLSY,” Caitlin Moran added.
Without being all "Wah, it's actually hard to be a celebrity", for David Beckham to come alone, and queue for ten hours, when everyone would recognise him, is pretty ballsy. GOLDENBALLSY
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) September 16, 2022
Beckham told reporters that he felt like remembering Queen Elizabeth II was something that ought to be shared.
“I was so lucky I was able to have a few moments in my life to be around Her Majesty,” he told ITV News. “A sad day but it’s a day to remember the incredible legacy she left.”
He shared a photo of the coffin on Instagram, along with the caption, “Our Queen is home.. Today we said a final farewell to Her Majesty The Queen. This week the world has mourned the loss of a unique , inspirational & caring leader. People from all walks of life came together in their thousands to show gratitude for our beloved Queen. Alongside the incredible ceremony and tradition we have watched a loving family grieve for a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother with dignity and dedication. Her legacy of service and devotion to duty will endure…Long live the King.”
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He followed that with a photo of the late queen — and her late husband, Prince Phillip. That photo, he captioned simply, “Back together.”
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