David Beckham has joined the thousands of people who are queuing to pay their final respects to the Queen as she lies in state. The former Manchester United and England star has been spotted joining fellow well-wishers as they make their way into Westminster Hall where the late monarch arrived on Wednesday.
The public were allowed to start paying their respects to the Queen from 5pm on Wednesday following a procession from Buckingham Palace. As of Friday morning (September 16), it was reported that the queues to Westminster Hall reached 14 hours overnight.
And earlier this morning, the government confirmed that the public queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state will be paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity. While just after 1pm it started moving again after a 40-minute pause, mourners were urged not to join the line until at least 4pm on Friday by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
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David was among those joining the line, starting his wait at 2am on Friday morning to try and avoid the crowds. However, he has since been spotted by fellow well-wishers and pictures of him began circulating on social media.
One image, posted by @NowThenSunshine, showed the former footballing ace as he followed those around him as they edged closer to Westminster Hall. While he may have hoped to keep a low profiled, David, 48, was spotting donning smart attire - a black suit and tie - with an added black flat cap.
@NowThenSunshine tweeted: "The Queue is now full of people trying to photograph David Beckham and forgetting to actually move onwards. It’s madness!" They then added: "Here he is in the background! Photo taken by my new queue buddy @OliverAngove."
Others have also been enjoying a bit of Becks spotting. MrChrisAnstee managed to grab a selfie with the man himself and wrote on Twitter: "We come to pay my respects to The Queen and just before we go in we get to meet the handsome Mr Beckham. I got the pic. #Starstruck but respectfully x #DavidBeckham #Queen."
David has also stopped to have a brief chat with ITV News as he made his way with the crowds. Asked why he wanted to be there, he said: "I grew up in a household of Royalists and I was brought up that way. So if my grandparents were here today, I know that they would have wanted to be here so I am here on their behalf and on behalf of my family and to celebrate with everybody else here."
He also joked that he "gets told off" if he holds the line up. He said it was "special" to be there and hear everyone's stories as he passed through London. Having being lucky enough to meet the Queen, David said the most special time he remembers was when he received his OBE.
"I took my grandparents with me who are the ones who brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the royal family so to have them there... I had my wife there as well, to step up to get my honour but then also Her Majesty to ask a question and to talk, I was so lucky."
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