David Beckham queued for roughly 14 hours to pay his own personal respects to the Queen as the late monarch lies in state.
Images shared on social media show fellow members of the queue to Westminster Hall holding their phones in the air to capture a picture of the 47-year-old former footballer as he waited to pay his respects, unlike other celebrities and MPs who skipped the queue.
Twitter user @NowThenSunshine said Beckham was “just a few lines behind us in the snake”.
Oooh and DAVID BECKHAM is just a few lines behind us in the snake 😯😯😯
— Jules Birkby (@NowThenSunshine) September 16, 2022
They tweeted: “The Queue is now full of people trying to photograph David Beckham and forgetting to actually move onwards.
“It’s madness!
“I feel a bit sorry for him, but he’s taking it very well.
“It’s made me almost forget that we’ve been in The Queue almost TWELVE HOURS though.”
Speaking about paying tribute to the Queen on the football pitch, Beckham told ITV News: “Every time that we stood there when we wore those Three Lion shirts and I had my armband and we sang God Save Our Queen, that was something that meant so much to us.
“Every time that we did it, it was something special.
“So this day was always going to be difficult, and it’s difficult for the nation, it’s difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today.
“Because it’s special to be here, to celebrate, and to hear the different stories that people have to say.”
Speaking about joining the queue, he added: “I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little bit quieter – I was wrong.”
When asked whether he had any anecdotes about his experiences with the Queen, he told ITV News: “Probably the most special moment for me was when I received my OBE.
“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.”
Among other celebrities spotted in the queue was TV presenter Susanna Reid.
Evening - along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history - witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful. pic.twitter.com/f6hhdI96L6
— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) September 15, 2022
The Good Morning Britain anchor, 51, attended the historic event on Thursday with her mother Sue, and said she had “experienced a moment in history”.
Detailing her experience on Twitter, she said: “Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.”
Her posts also shared tips for others in the queue, saying: “If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 mins. Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.
“Don’t carry too much in a bag – water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route. Also plenty of toilets. I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.
Here he is in the background! Photo taken by my new queue buddy @OliverAngove pic.twitter.com/SYfURZzQi4
— Jules Birkby (@NowThenSunshine) September 16, 2022
“The first part of the queue is for wristbands. Ours were given out at Tower Bridge about an hour after we began queuing. There is no queue jumping – people waited patiently for wristbands and once you have one you can leave the queue for snacks/loo stops & slip back in.”
Following the Queen’s death aged 96 last week, Reid was among the high-profile figures paying tribute to her.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “No one more likely to be so loved, admired and respected than Her Majesty The Queen and although she cannot be immortal, I think we have always hoped she might be.”
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were also spotted at Westminster Hall as they paid their respects to the late monarch.
The presenting duo, who have been hosting special tribute editions of ITV’s This Morning to the late Queen this week, were dressed in black as they queued for the historic occasion.
Reality TV star Sharon Osbourne was also seen among the thousands of mourners.
On Friday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport paused the queue to Westminster Hall for “at least six hours” after Southwark Park reached capacity, with the estimated queueing time for mourners having risen to at least 14 hours.
Some of those in the queue will witness the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a 15-minute vigil around their mother’s coffin at around 7.30pm on Friday.
For those who are not able to attend in person, a continuous livestream of the Queen lying in state has been set up by a number of broadcasters including the BBC and ITV.
Thousands have tuned in to watch mourners file solemnly past the coffin to pay their respects.
