David Beckham has joined thousands of mourners queuing to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
The former England football captain joined the queue in London to see the coffin of the late British monarch, who is lying in state in Westminster Hall, at around 2am on Friday morning (16.09.22) and although he faces a mammoth wait, he felt compelled to sacrifice his time to say a personal farewell to the Queen, who presented him with an OBE back in 2003.
Speaking to Sky News, 12 hours after he joined the queue, David – who was wearing a smart suit and tie and a flat cap – said: “This day was always going to be a difficult day. Our thoughts are with the family, it’s very special to hear all of the stories from people here. The most special moment for me was to receive my OBE. I took my grandparents with me who were huge royalists. “I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life to be around Her Majesty. It’s a sad day, but a day to remember.”
David, 47, has been recognised by other mourners, but he happily stopped for several selfies without much disruption to the flow of the queue.
In the wake of the Queen’s death on September 8 at the age of 96, the former Manchester United midfielder took to Instagram to pay tribute to Her Majesty and her 70 years on the throne, and also offer his condolences to the Royal Family, which includes her son, King Charles III.
Beckham wrote: “I’m truly saddened by the death of Her Majesty, the Queen. What an outpouring of love and respect we saw for the Platinum Jubilee for her life of service. How devastated we all feel today shows what she has meant to people in this country and around the world. How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough. Until her last days she served her country with dignity and grace. This year she would have known how loved she was. My thoughts and prayers are with our Royal Family.”
Currently, the queue to see Queen Elizabeth lying in state is closed because of the huge volume of people already in line.
Shortly before 10am on Friday (16.09.22) government officials released a statement informing members of the public that they cannot join the line at the moment, with a further update expected this afternoon.
At 8am on Friday, the queue was 4.4 miles long, with an estimated wait time of 14 hours.
People began queuing to see the queen’s coffin on Monday evening (12.09.22) ahead of admittance on Wednesday (14.09.22) at 5pm.
In the early hours of Thursday (15.09.22) morning, officials made the decision to have two queues inside the building filing past the coffin on two sides in order to reduce waiting times.
And members of the public wishing to pay their respects to the monarch have been warned they need to be in the queue by 12.30am on Monday (19.09.22) in order to make it into Westminster Hall before it closes at 6.30am, just hours before the Queen’s funeral is to take place.
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