A saluted tribute.
He waited more than 12 hours, like thousands of people: the former British footballer David Beckham made a strong impression on Friday, noticed in the crowd who had come to gather near the coffin of Elizabeth II at the Palace of Westminster.
"I thought coming at 2 a.m. it would be quieter, but I was wrong," the former England national team captain told ITV.
“It's difficult for the nation, difficult for everyone.
I think everyone feels that and our hearts go out to the (royal) family,” David Beckham, 47, added.
The player also evokes the emotion that gripped him every time he sang the national anthem before a football match.
"It was something that meant so much to us," he recalls.
Knight of the Order of the British Empire
Photos posted on social media by people close to him in the queue show him in a dark suit and tie and a newsboy cap on his head.
“The queue is now full of people trying to photograph David Beckham, completely forgetting to keep moving forward.
It's crazy !
“, writes for example on Twitter Jules Birkby, also present in the queue, above photos showing the former footballer in the queue.
“The most important moment for me was when I received (my medal of) the Order of the British Empire.
I had taken my grandparents, real royalists, with me,” David Beckham told Sky News again.
"I have been so lucky to be able to experience such moments in my life, to have been able to approach Her Majesty," added the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star.
Like him, hundreds of thousands of Britons will be able until early Monday morning to gather near the coffin of Queen Elizabeth, who died Thursday, September 8 at the age of 96, after more than 70 years of reign.
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