Queen Elizabeth II dies: David Beckham queues for 13 hours to pay respects
LONDON – Soccer legend David Beckham paid his respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Friday after waiting in a miles-long line for more than 13 hours to see her coffin at Westminster Hall, according to multiple reports.
The former England captain and co-owner of Inter Miami earlier told ITV News that he joined the queue to see the queen around 2 a.m., thinking that it would be quieter then.
“I was wrong,” he said with a smile. “Everybody had that in mind. … Everybody wants to be here to be part of this experience and celebrate what her majesty has done for us.”
In 2003, Beckham received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to football, according to The Guardian. On Friday, he remembered speaking to the queen while receiving the honor.
“I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life to be around her majesty because we can all see with the love that’s being shown how special she is, and how special she was,” he said, according to ITV News.
Beckham told BBC News that he believes “something like this today is meant to be shared together.”
“We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our queen,” he said.
Video from Westminster Hall showed Beckham bowing his head as he viewed the queen’s coffin.
Elizabeth died Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in British history.
King Charles III was officially proclaimed Britain’s new monarch on Saturday.
People stand in line by the London Eye as tens of thousands of people join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
People queue along the Thames Embankment as tens of thousands of people join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
People stand in line along Southbank as tens of thousands join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
A family stands in line on the Southbank as tens of thousands join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
A crowd looks on as soldiers march through Parliament Square during a rehearsal on September 15, 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London.
A large dog joins people standing in line on the Southbank as tens of thousands of people join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
A crowd looks on as soldiers march through Parliament Square during a rehearsal on September 15, 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London.
A sandwich board displaying the years of Queen Elizabeth II’s life is seen on Southbank as tens of thousands join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
A young man shrugs while waiting on the Thames Embankment as tens of thousands of people join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
People stand in line along Southbank as tens of thousands join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022, in London.
Soldiers march through Parliament Square during a rehearsal on September 15, 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London.
