David Beckham turned down an offer from an MP to skip the queue for the Queen’s lying in state, according to reports.
The former England football captain queued for more than 13 hours to pay his respects to Her Majesty after joining the line at 2am on Friday.
Beckham, 47, donned a flat cap and a smart suit as he waited in line with thousands of other mourners.
It came despite an MP, who is allowed to take up to four guests, offering him the chance to jump the queue.
A source told the Daily Mail: “David could have avoided all of the queuing but he wanted to be like everyone else.
“He said his grandad wouldn’t have [jumped the queue] so neither would he.
“He had been wondering all week when the best time was to go and finally he went for this morning. David was brought up in an East End family who were real royalists – the kind who would stand to attention when the national anthem came on.
“He wanted to go to see the Queen like any other member of the public."
As Beckham approached the front of the queue, he told ITV News that he was attending "on behalf of his family", having grown up in a “household of royalists”.
He also ingratiated himself with the crowd by buying doughnuts and agreeing to pose for selfies as the queue made its slow progress along the south bank of the Thames.
“We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen,” Beckham said.
“Something like this today is meant to be shared together. This day was always going to be a difficult day. Our thoughts are with the family - it’s very special to hear all of the stories from people here.”
Beckham said his favourite memory of the late monarch was when he received his OBE for services to football in 2003.
“I was so lucky I was able to have a few moments in my life to be around Her Majesty,” he told reporters, before joking that he was being “told off” for holding up the line.
Later, television footage inside Westminster Hall showed the former player looking tearful as he waited to file past the Queen’s coffin.
