David Beckham waits over 12 hours in line to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II
London — International soccer star David Beckham said he waited for over 12 hours alongside other members of the public on Friday to pay his respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
"I grew up in a household of royalists, and I was brought up that way," Beckham told British broadcast ITV News from the line. As he was giving the interview, he kept moving forward as the line snaked towards Westminster Hall.
"I get told off if I hold the line up," Beckham said.
Early Friday, the wait to visit the queen lying in state was so long that the line was temporarily paused for six hours.
Beckham, who said that he'd had coffee, Pringles, and doughnuts with the people waiting around him, said he was there on behalf of his grandparents, his family, "and obviously to celebrate with everybody else here."
"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," he said. "Our thoughts are with the family, and obviously with everybody here today, because it's special to be here to celebrate and to hear the different stories."
Beckham said he joined the line, which snakes through central London, very early Friday morning. The wait time, which is being shared on a live line tracker, has gone as high as 14 hours.
"I thought by coming at 2 a.m. it was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong," Beckham told ITV News. "But the people here, you know, all ages... Everybody wants to be here, to be part of this experience, to celebrate what her majesty has done for us."
