Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Footballer Beckham joins queue to pay respects to the Queen
FORMER England captain David Beckham has said he attended the Queen’s lying in state to celebrate her life and legacy, and remembered his late grandparents, saying if they had been alive they would have been there.
The football star began queueing at 2am on Friday and looked emotional as he finally made it inside Westminster Hall to view the monarch’s coffin, with footage appearing to show him wiping away tears.
Speaking after the viewing, Beckham, 47, a keen royalist, told press: “It is emotional for everybody involved.”
He added: “Her Majesty was someone special and will be missed just by everyone.”
Beckham was made an OBE in 2003 and received the honour for his services to football, and over the years has been involved in the Queen’s Young Leader Award, which was established in 2014.
He said it had been an honour to be involved, adding: “Anytime throughout my career I’ve been asked to do anything regarding the royal family, her majesty, the princes, our King now, I have always been very willing to do that.
“I grew up in a family that were royalists. Today I think back to my grandparents because if my grandparents were alive they would have been here, so it’s nice to be here to celebrate with everybody the life of Her Majesty and her legacy that she leaves.”
TV presenter Susanna Reid is also among the famous faces who waited several hours in the queue to pay their respects to the Queen.
Reid, 51, joined the queue 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: “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.”
Earlier yesterday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) 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.