David Dennis Beckham said paying his respects to the Queen was “special” after he queued for 12 hours to see Elizabeth II lying in state.
The former England captain, now 47, was among those who took their turn to walk past the coffin at Westminster Hall.
The soccer player joined a queue of people at 1.45 am coming inside the Westminster Hall to see the Queen’s coffin. It was not until 3.26 pm that he got a chance to go inside the venue.
The Manchester United legend, 47, said: “I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong.
“Everyone had that in mind.
“Everyone wants to be here to be part of this experience and to celebrate what Her Majesty has done for us.”
Asked if Britain would ever see her like again, he gently shook his head and said: “I don’t think so, no.”
The legendary British football player said he was enjoying eating pringles, doughnuts and sandwiches while sipping coffee together with other people waiting along with him. One of the people who had been waiting alongside Beckham told the BBC that she had “big respect for him” for paying respect to the Queen the way he wanted to.
Beckham talked about how fortunate he was to have met the Queen several times and how proud he was to represent England’s national football team. Beckham claimed to have come on behalf of his grandparents, who, if they were still living, would have joined the line, as he had grown up in a Royalist family.
He always wanted to represent his country and to be the captain of his country, Beckham said. He said it had “meant so much” every time that he sang “God Save The Queen” while wearing “those Three Lion shirts” and had his armband.
When asked about how his knees were after having waited for such long hours, he said his knees were fine. But, the back and the feet felt terrible, he laughed as he answered the question.
Tens of thousands of mourners lined up to pay their respects as Queen Elizabeth II lay in state on September 16. King Charles III and his siblings stood watch by her coffin as they were advised that their wait could last up to 24 hours.
