David Beckham is set to follow in the footsteps of the King and Queen, as well as the Princess Royal.
The former footballer will guest-edit the 22 October edition of Country Life to mark his 50th year, it has been announced.
The father-of-four, who is tipped for a knighthood in the King's birthday honours list, is a staunch royalist and has swapped the football pitch for the countryside in recent years.
King Charles has twice guest-edited Country Life to mark his 65th birthday in November 2013 and his 70th in 2018 when he was the Prince of Wales.
In 2020, the Princess Royal masterminded a special issue to commemorate her 70th birthday, while the Queen, then the Duchess of Cornwall, took the editorial reins in 2022 to mark her 75th birthday – and produced a record-breaking sell-out edition.
© Instagram / Victoria Beckham / @countrylifemagazineDavid, who was captain of the England football team for six years before retiring in 2013, has long been a fan of the magazine.
Editor-in-Chief Mark Hedges recalled first meeting the sports star two years ago, saying: "As soon as we were introduced, David told me how much he loves Country Life. He reads every issue from cover to cover and it's been a great companion to him as he's developed his own life in the countryside.
© Courtney Hockley / Country Life magazine"I'm absolutely delighted that David has agreed to guest edit the magazine, especially as it will be my 1,000th issue since I became Editor.
"I know he has a deep love of the countryside, which has grown since he retired as a professional footballer, although he is, of course, still extremely busy as a businessman and an ambassador for a host of causes, such as UNICEF and The King's Foundation, as well as being co-owner of Inter Miami CF in the US and Salford City Football Club in the UK. As someone who is passionate about the countryside, I'm excited to see what his special commemorative issue will bring."
David's love for the countryside
David and Victoria purchased their sprawling £12m Cotswolds mansion in 2016, with the couple throwing themselves into country pursuits in recent years.
© InstagramAs well as a vegetable patch and an orchard, David developed a passion for beekeeping during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He even presented the King with a jar of honey he harvested at home when the pair met at the British Fashion Council Foundation Impact Day 2023.
© GettyDavid became an ambassador for The King's Foundation last year, with the ex-footballer saying he felt "very honoured" when he was asked.
© Getty Images"Our King is an incredible man, he has not just been incredible for the last five, ten years, he's been an incredible man for decades," he added.
"We have very similar interests, beekeeping … he's into bees, I'm into bees, he's into the countryside, I'm into the countryside, he's into empowering young people so I'm very honoured with that role."
