David Beckham's admiration for the royal family goes back to his childhood, with the former footballer being a self-proclaimed "royalist". Throughout his career and his charity work, the 48-year-old sports star has met several members of the royal family.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, he queued for 13 hours to see Her Late Majesty lying in state at Westminster Hall, refusing opportunities to skip the line despite his high profile.
After paying his respects to Her Late Majesty, he said: "Anytime throughout my career I've been asked to do anything regarding the royal family, Her Majesty, the princes, our King now, I have always been very willing to do that. I grew up in a family that were royalists. Today I think back to my grandparents because if my grandparents were alive they would have been here, so it’s nice to be here to celebrate with everybody the life of Her Majesty and her legacy that she leaves."
David has long admired the late Queen and the royal family
The father-of-four met the late Queen several times, including at the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games and when she awarded him his OBE for his services to football in 2003. Over the years, he has also been involved in the Queen's Young Leader Award, established in 2014.
In May 2023, David attended an awards ceremony where the King celebrated British fashion designers. The former England football captain surprised Charles with a jar of home-produced honey from his Cotswolds estate.
David and Victoria have reportedly shared a close friendship with Princes William and Harry over the years. During her pop star days as Posh Spice, Victoria met Harry, then 13, backstage at the Spice Girls' concert in Johannesburg in 1997.
In the run-up to the Sussexes' nuptials in May 2018, she was one of the designers tipped to create Meghan's wedding dress, but that honour eventually fell to Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy.
The Beckhams at Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018
In 2018, the former midfielder and his second son, Romeo, attended Harry's Invictus Games tournament in Sydney, Australia. In 2014, David teamed up with William to support a campaign with United for Wildlife, which aims to protect animals from illegal poaching. He also joined the Prince and Princess of Wales at William's environmental Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston in November 2022.
Best photos
See more photographs of David Beckham with the royal family in the gallery below...
William and David have met multiple times over the years, including on William's first overseas trip with Kate following their marrage. Here, they enjoyed a chat at the British Consul-General's residence in California.
Back in 2019, David and the then-Prince Charles crossed paths at the Our Planet premiere. During the event, the King whispered a private message to the footballer.
David has been meeting members of the royal family for years, with this meeting between the star and the late Queen taking place in 2002. Just look at David's bright blonde hair!
William and David showed off their bromance once again when they visited an Air Ambulance charity. William even jabbed a finger at the former footballer as they laughed around.
As you can see, William and David's friendship has stretched back for years. Here they are back in 2010 before it was confirmed that England would be hosting the 2018 World Cup.
The most recent meeting of the royals and David took place at the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show. Even Queen Camilla seemed to be enchanted by the former footballer.
David met with both William and Prince Harry when the trip headed to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.
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