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16th Sep 2022

David Beckham queued for 12 hours to pay respects to the Queen

Charlie Herbert

David Beckham queen

The former footballer had queued for more than 12 hours

David Beckham appeared emotional as he prepared to walk past the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday afternoon.

After queuing since 2 am in the morning, the 47-year-old solemnly paid his respects to the late monarch and seemed visibly emotional as he wiped the corner of his eye.

The former footballer queued for over 12 hours to pay his respects and had initially managed to remain relatively conspicuous in the queue.

But after he was finally spotted, Beckham spoke to the media about why he had been keen to queue like everyone else.

He told ITV: “To receive my OBE, I took my grandparents with me, who were the ones that really brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the royal family, and obviously I had my wife there as well,’ he said.

“To step up, to get my honour, but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk, I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life, to be around Her Majesty.

“Because we can all see with the love that has been shown, how special she is and how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind… It’s a sad day, but it’s a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she’s left.”

He added: “I think it’ll take a long time to understand [the Queen’s death] because I think Her Majesty meant so much in so many different ways.”

The former Manchester United and England midfielder had reportedly been queueing for 12 hours by 2 pm this afternoon when he spoke to Sky News. 

He said he was there to celebrate Britain’s “special” Queen.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that MPs have been given permission to skip the queue in order to see the Queen lying in state.

Staffers, on the other hand, have been told to wait like everybody else, causing many grievances in the House of Commons.

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