David and Victoria Beckham at the state banquet: This is what connects them with the British royals

On Tuesday evening, King Charles (76) and Queen Camilla (77) gave a glamorous state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of the Emir of Qatar. Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thanis (44), accompanied by one of his three wives, was not the only one who attracted attention. Royal fans were particularly surprised by the presence of another prominent couple.

Among the numerous guests at the banquet were David (49) and Victoria Beckham (50), who presented themselves to the photographers beaming with joy and hand in hand. It is not their first appearance at a royal event, as the couple have a close friendship with the British royal family.

The fact that the former captain of the England national team was invited to the banquet with his wife could, on the one hand, be due to the fact that Beckham was working as an ambassador for the Football World Cup being held in Qatar in 2022. But his connection to the Royals goes back much further.

The Beckhams are said to have known and been more or less good friends for a long time, especially with King Charles’ sons. In 2011, the Beckhams were guests at the magnificent wedding of Prince William (42) and Princess Kate (42) in Westminster Abbey. Seven years later, they were also among the guests at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor when Prince Harry (40) and Duchess Meghan (43) tied the knot in May 2018. While the relationship with William and Kate still seems to be brilliant, the friendship with Harry and Meghan is now said to be characterized by tensions for various reasons.

David Beckham in particular seems to have developed a close bond and a good relationship with King Charles in recent years. In May, the British monarch appointed the former footballer as an ambassador for his royal foundation. The King’s Foundation is committed to supporting “sustainable communities” and giving young people greater access to nature. Charles and Beckham share, among other things, a passion for bees and beekeeping.

Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), also seemed to have held David Beckham in high esteem, and the feeling was probably mutual. In 2003 she awarded him the Order of the British Empire. Almost 20 years later in 2022, Beckham stood in line for twelve hours to say goodbye to the late Queen at her coffin.

There is currently speculation that the ex-athlete is well on his way to being knighted soon. This could give him the title of “Sir” that he has allegedly longed for. But no matter what ambitions Beckham may have, the sympathy for the British royals seems to exist even apart from that. This was most recently made clear at the beginning of October, when Prince William and David Beckham inspected a new rescue helicopter from a London charity. The ex-athlete said at the time that he was very proud to have been asked by William to be part of the campaign.