Windsor: Former England captain David Beckham has received his knighthood for services to sports and charity as he arrived at Windsor Castle with wife Victoria and his parents. Sir David Beckham was welcomed by King Charles at Windsor Castle, among those accepting the honours.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, earlier this year, the football star, aged 50, expressed that he was ‘immensely proud’ of being recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours. The sports star from north-east London made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 1995 and was part of the team that earned a dramatic Champions League final victory in 1999 when they beat Bayern Munich with two late goals. In total, he scored 85 goals and collected honours, including six Premier League titles and two FA Cups, before retiring from the sport in 2013.
Alongside his football career, Beckham has supported several charity causes, including serving as a goodwill ambassador for the humanitarian aid organisation UNICEF since 2005. Last year, he was named an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, an educational charity established by the King in 1990. Known for his stylish clothing choices, Beckham was named the most stylish man of the year by GQ magazine in 1998 and has modelled for brands like H and M, Armani, and Boss. Beckham married his wife Victoria in 1999, and the couple shares four children together – Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper.
Also among the personalities on the honours roll are Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and West End performer Elaine Paige. Ishiguro was made a Companion of Honour for services to literature. The Order of the Companions of Honour, founded in 1917 by George V, is limited to 65 members at any one time, with appointments going to those who have made a long-standing contribution to arts, science, medicine, or government. The Japanese-born author, 70, known for ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘The Remains Of The Day,’ won the Man Booker Prize for his third novel, which was adapted into a film that earned eight Oscar nominations.
Elaine Paige, given a damehood for services to music and charity, was born Elaine Bickerstaff in north London in 1948 and became a star with her portrayal of Eva Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘Evita.’ After the show’s debut in 1978, Paige won the Olivier Award for performance of the year in a musical. She has had starring roles in ‘Cats,’ ‘Chess,’ ‘Piaf,’ and ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ and more recently starred in pantomimes at The London Palladium. Throughout her career, Paige has recorded over 20 solo albums and achieved a chart-topping single with ‘I Know Him So Well,’ featuring Barbara Dickson. Outside of her work, she has supported several charities, including The Children’s Trust, the Royal Voluntary Service, and the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, where she has served as president since 2010.