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Bonding over their mutual love of gardening and bee-keeping, the King and Britain's most famous footballer, David Beckham, hit it off splendidly at Chelsea last month. As they chatted away with smiles as brilliant as the blooms of Britain's best flower show, it was clear to onlookers that these two men, from very different worlds, had made a true connection.

Now it appears that their encounter may have been more important than any of us first realised after it was revealed Beckham will finally receive a long-awaited knighthood at the King's Birthday Honours next week. Coming some two decades after the former England player was appointed an OBE in 2003 to acknowledge his contributions to football and charity, it's the title he has arguably coveted more than any other - despite a glittering trophy cabinet at home.

During their encounter, King Charles was heard asking: "You got it, didn't you?" to which David replied: "It was incredible, thank you. It was very kind."

It's perhaps the biggest hint yet that Beckham knew of an impending knighthood after he made a string of public appearances alongside the Royal Family this year.

But following the announcement on Thursday, Beckham, an avid royalist since his schooldays in Chingford, is sure to be feeling like he's scored a winning goal in extra time.

"He will be elated, it's the pinnacle of one's career to be recognised with the honour of a knighthood," Dickie Arbiter, the royal press spokesman for the King and the late Queen Elizabeth II, told the Daily Express.

"This is about someone being recognised for the huge work he has done in supporting the King's charities and communities - not because he kicked a ball around the pitch. He's been away from the sport for too long. He's worked tirelessly over the years since retiring from football. And all power to him for bonding with the King. He's a nice person."

The honour will also extend to wife Victoria Beckham who will be known as "Lady Beckham" after her husband is knighted.

The 50-year-old's achievements of course are well known but are worth noting again. Born in the East End of London, the son of an appliance repairman, he amassed 115 caps for England and achieved domestic and international success with top flight clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan. Beckham also captained the national team for five years - and who can forget his incredible 2001 free-kick against Greece that sent England to the 2002 World Cup?

Beyond his sporting successes, Beckham has been an active ambassador for Unicef and, more recently, the King's Foundation, focusing on education and environmental initiatives - two issues very close to the monarch's heart. Speaking about the latter, he said: "I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the foundation's work."

Beckham's appointment as an ambassador was proof to some royal watchers that a knighthood was finally in sight after years of being snubbed in annual honours lists. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams previously told the Express believed it was "high-time" the global megastar and national treasure was honoured.

"I'm not going to make a Beckingham Palace joke, but Beckham is one of the most famous British people alive," he said. "His achievements on the pitch, his charitable work, it's all enormous. He's highly regarded by the Royal Family - particularly by Charles and William."

But despite the ex-England captain's carefully-curated image, "skeletons in his closet" are likely to have delayed the crowning honour. "Beckham's alleged involvement in a tax avoidance scheme was a PR nightmare," public relations expert Mark Borkowski told the Daily Express. "While the scheme wasn't illegal, it struck a nerve with both the public and the establishment, especially in an era of heightened scrutiny on wealth inequality.
Leaked emails that year also suggested the former footballer was desperate for a knighthood. On missing out again, he allegedly wrote: "I expected nothing less. It's a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would [have] got something like this 10 years ago."
Branding the incident a "significant PR misstep" Mr Borkowski said: "The incident painted him as entitled and transactional - a cardinal sin for the decorum-obsessed Honours Committee. Beckham has since worked hard to bury this faux pas."

And it is the blossoming friendship between the King and Beckham over the last 18 months that appears to have helped. When the pair met at the British Fashion Council awards in 2023, Beckham gifted the monarch a pot of his own homemade honey, D Bee'z Sticky Stuff, which he grows at his Cotswolds family home. It was then the two men were said to discover their mutual passion for bees and Beckham has since visited Highgrove Gardens to "compare beekeeping tips" with Charles.

A cynic might say David's love of the hive-minded insects might have been a way to connect with our nature loving King, but it is fair to say since buying his Cotswolds property, just an hour's drive from Highgrove, David, like Charles, has truly embraced country living. When not tending to his bees and chickens, he is harvesting his organic vegetable patch, proudly showcasing his spring onions, kale, red cabbage, green cabbage, potatoes, and berries on social media.

He even plants banks of wildflowers just like Charles at his beloved Highgrove, dressed in his new wardrobe of heritage tweeds, muted chunky knitwear and wellies. Gone are the brash Gucci leathers and obvious designer labels as Beckham's dress sense mirrors his new royal mentor's country casuals.

And it is not only the King who Beckham has clearly impressed over recent months.
In January he was honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland for his "extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism" in protecting "the rights of the most vulnerable children".
"Today, there are more children in need and at risk than any time in recent history, and it is always the most vulnerable children who face the biggest challenges - especially girls," he said on stage.

"Girls are held back by poverty, girls are held back by violence, girls are held back by discrimination. I'm lucky enough to be a father of three boys and one beautiful girl. I want my daughter Harper to have the same opportunities as her brothers, and that should be the case for all girls everywhere."
This heartfelt speech was sure to have impressed Camilla who has built up an impressive reputation as someone who fights for women's rights, gender equality and the need to support victims of domestic abuse.

More recently, the Beckhams have proven their unwavering loyalty to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as their rift with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle widens.

The Beckhams were guests at the weddings of both princes, while David often partied with Harry in Chelsea and Mayfair. But that all changed in 2023 after a fallout with the Sussexes over allegations Victoria was leaking information to them to the press. David was said to be extremely upset about these accusations, and apparently still is, and put an end to their friendship.

Last month reports surfaced that the Sussexes had invited Beckham's estranged eldest son Brooklyn and his American wife Nicola Peltz to dinner in Los Angeles in what must have been a bitter blow to the Beckhams. The Princess of Wales was seen shortly afterwards wearing a Victoria Beckham outfit.

The star striker's loyalty to his country can't also have gone unnoticed. Who can forget a tearful Beckham patiently queuing for 12 hours alongside the public to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II when she was lying in state at Westminster Hall in September 2022? Like many famous faces did, he could have queue jumped, but instead he waited in an enormously long queue, chatting with other mourners.
Mr Borkowski said there is a clear formula for securing a knighthood which consists of a delicate balancing act between "quiet philanthropy, unshakable humility and strategic royal alignment" and Beckham has proved he has achieved that balance.

It may have taken extra time, but this Chingford schoolboy has finally landed a back-of-the-net accolade.