'This is without doubt my proudest moment': Becks hails knighthood as he reveals conversation he had with King Charles

The Manchester United and England star, 50, was recognised for his services to sport and charity in a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

Becks knelt as he was knighted by King Charles with his beaming parents and wife, Victoria, proudly looking on.

Sir David was first put forward for a knighthood in 2011, but only this year was he recognised.

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“I’ve been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I’ve won and done what I’ve done but to receive an honour like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive,” Sir David said after the ceremony.

“To be honest, a young boy from the east end of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honoured by His Majesty the King – the most important and the most respected institution in the world – it’s quite a moment.

“This is without doubt my proudest moment.”

He added that it was a “huge honour” to be recognised for both his sporting career and for the philanthropic work he has done since he was “probably 17.”

Sir David, known for his immaculate sense of fashion, said the King was especially impressed by his choice of suit - designed by Sir David’s wife, Lady Victoria Beckham.

“He was quite impressed with my suit,” said, smiling.

“He’s kind of the most elegantly dressed man that I know, so he inspired quite a few of my looks over the years and he definitely inspired this look.

“It was something that my wife made me.

“I looked at old pictures of him when he was quite young in morning suits and I was like, OK, that’s what I want to wear, so I gave it to my wife and she did it.”

This won’t be the first time Sir David’s fashion has impressed, with the footy star being named 1998’s most stylish man of the year by GQ magazine.

Speaking about his drive, Sir David said he realised early on that people listen to him and that that was a “powerful tool” in the world of charity.

“I think mostly it’s because of the career that I’ve had and the teams that I’ve played for and the things that I’ve won and the respect that I’ve gained throughout my career, and I think that that is why people listen to me,” he said.

“And I think it’s a very powerful tool to have in charity. I just found very quickly that we could make change with things that I said and things that I got involved in and I think that’s why it’s so important to me.”

Alongside his football career, Sir David has supported a number of charity causes, including serving as a goodwill ambassador for humanitarian aid organisation Unicef since 2005.

Last year, he was named an ambassador for The King’s Foundation, an educational charity established by the King in 1990.

“All the things that I do, I do out of love,” he went on.

“I don’t do it because I’m forced to do it, I don’t do it because I have to do it, I do it because it’s important.”

He does not believe he will stop.

“Because I think there’ll always be something to do,” Sir David said.

“I do believe that my work will never stop. I enjoy work. I got brought up with the right values to have respect for people and that will continue.”

Sir David’s children, Romeo, Cruz and Harper all took to social media after the ceremony, sharing the moment their father was named a knight of the realm.

The only one of Sir David’s children who didn’t mark the occasion was his eldest son, Brooklyn - with the pair engaged in a long-running feud.

Hailing his former teammate, England and United defender Rio Ferdinand told LBC: "If we're looking at somebody that's worked hard, that has come from not nothing, but come from somewhere where he's had to work to get to the levels that he's at, no one could have imagined that he'd become a world superstar icon that he is.

"He deserves it, I don't know many that work as hard as him or put the mileage in that he does and he's become an icon not just from a football pitch, but also off the pitch in different areas as well.

"So if anyone's deserving and we see some people get these accolades and you go, oh, you have to think about why they've got it and scratch your head a little bit sometimes, not with this man."

Sir David made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 1995 and was part of the team that earned a dramatic Champions League final victory in 1999 when they beat Bayern Munich with two late goals.

In total, he scored 85 goals and collected honours including six Premier League titles and two FA Cups as a footballer, before retiring from the sport in 2013.

David Beckham's career statistics

England

• 1996-2009: 115 appearances, 17 goals

Manchester United:

• 1992-93: 1 appearance, 0 goals
• 1994-95: 10 appearances, 1 goal
• 1995-96: 40 appearances, 8 goals
• 1996-97: 49 appearances, 12 goals
• 1997-98: 50 appearances, 11 goals
• 1998-99: 55 appearances, 9 goals
• 1999-2000: 48 appearances, 8 goals
• 2000-01: 46 appearances, 9 goals
• 2001-02: 43 appearances, 16 goals
• 2002-03: 52 appearances, 11 goals

Real Madrid:

• 2003-04: 35 appearances, 5 goals
• 2004-05: 36 appearances, 4 goals
• 2005-06: 32 appearances, 4 goals
• 2006-07: 30 appearances, 7 goals

LA Galaxy:

• 2007: 5 appearances, 1 goal
• 2008: 25 appearances, 5 goals
• 2009: 11 appearances, 2 goals
• 2010: 7 appearances, 2 goals
• 2011: 26 appearances, 2 goals
• 2012: 31 appearances, 7 goals

AC Milan (loan):

• 2008-09: 18 appearances, 2 goals
• 2009-10: 11 appearances, 0 goals

Paris Saint-Germain:

• 2012-13: 14 appearances, 0 goals