David Beckham turns down offer to jump queue, waits 12 hrs to pay respects to UK's Queen

Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 on September 8. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall where people are paying their respect ahead of her funeral on Monday, September 19. Former England men's football team captain David Beckham on Friday, September 16, paid his respect to Britain's longest-serving monarch while waiting in queue for hours.

Queen Elizabeth II death: David Beckham says paying respects to the Queen was 'special'

According to BBC, David Beckham appeared to be wiping away tears while paying his respect to Queen Elizabeth II. The report states that Beckham after paying his respect said "It's special to be here, to celebrate and to hear the different stories that people have."

Beckham was presented with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for his services to football.

While recalling the moment he said, "To receive my OBE, I took my grandparents with me - who were the ones that really brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the Royal Family - and obviously I had my wife there as well. To step up, to get my honour - but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk. I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life, to be around Her Majesty."

He added, "Because we can all see with the love that has been shown how special she is and how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind. It's a sad day, but it's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she's left. Every time that we stood there when we wore those Three Lion shirts and I had my armband and we sang God Save The Queen, that was something that meant so much to us. Every time that we did it, it was something special."

Queen Elizabeth death: David Beckham talks about celebrating the amazing life of Queen

As per the report, Beckham joined the long queue along the River Thames on Friday and revealed that he and those around him had been fuelled with Pringles crisps, sherbet lemon sweets, coffee and donuts. The government had to pause entry to the queue for a few hours earlier on Friday after warning of waiting times of at least 14 hours.

While waiting in the queue with fellow British citizens who came to pay their respects to the deceased Queen, Beckham said, "We all want to be here together. We all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen and I think something like this is meant to be shared together. This day was always going to be difficult and it's difficult for the nation, it's difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today. I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little bit quieter - I was wrong."