Emotional David Beckham, who waited in line for 12 hours to view Elizabeth II lying in state, described paying his respects to the monarch as “special.”
The 47-year-old ex-captain of England was one among many who waited their turn to pass the coffin in Westminster Hall.
“It’s special to be here, to celebrate and to hear the different stories that people have,” he said afterwards.
Beckham was presented with an OBE by the Queen in 2003 for his services to football.
He recalled: “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.
“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.
“Every time that we stood there when we wore those Three Lion shirts and I had my armband and we sang God Save The Queen, that was something that meant so much to us.
“Every time that we did it, it was something special.”
Beckham said that he and people around him had been given Pringles crisps, sherbet lemon sweets, coffee, and donuts to keep them going while they waited when he joined the lengthy line along the River Thames at 2:00 on Friday.
“We all want to be here together. We all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen and I think something like this is meant to be shared together,” he said.