David Beckham has revealed the one blunder he made while waiting nearly 12 hours in line to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
The retired football star was spotted on Friday morning in queue to see the Queen’s coffin, which is currently lying in state in Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday 19 September.
While speaking to ITV News in the queue, Beckham revealed that he had joined the long line at 2am last night, and waited for more than 12 hours with fellow mourners to reach the Palace of Westminster. The former Manchester United star said he hoped that arriving in the middle of the night would make his wait a little shorter, but it seemed like many others had the same idea.
“I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little quieter. I was wrong,” he said. “Everybody had that in mind.”
“Everybody wants to be here, to be part of this experience and celebrate what Her Majesty has done for us,” he added.
The 12-hour wait to view the Queen’s coffin also took a physical toll on Beckham, who told BBC News: “The knees are okay. It’s the back and the feet.”
Beckham, 47, was dressed in an all-black flat cap, suit, and matching black tie as he neared towards Westminster Hall on Friday morning. However, once he entered the hall, he removed his hat as a sign of respect. Beckham also appeared emotional, wiping away tears from his eyes as he reached the Queen’s coffin lying in state.
Many fans praised the father of four for waiting nearly 12 hours in the queue, just like the rest of the public who wished to view the Queen’s coffin lying in state. “Full credit to this man who could have played the VIP card,” one person tweeted.
“David Beckham queueing 12 hours to pay respects to the Queen – further proof that he is, fundementally, one of life’s good guys,” said someone else.
In London, the queue to see the Queen’s coffin has now reached an expected wait time of “at least 22 hours”, according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media. The queue was reopened on Friday after it had reached capacity with at least a 14-hour wait.
Earlier today, the queue was paused once again for 40 minutes when it reached capacity, and mourners were urged by the DCMS not to join the line until at least 4pm.
This means that people wishing to join the queue in Southwark Park, south-east London, are not expected to reach the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall until tomorrow evening. The line to Westminster Hall at the House of Parliament, where the Queen’s coffin is lying in state until her funeral on Monday, currently stretches five miles across London.
