Arise, Sir David…
How does Sir David sound? And we’re not talking about Sir David Attenborough but Sir David Beckham.
The legendary former footballer is apparently in the running for a knighthood in June next year. He was rumoured to be getting knighted in 2013 but his involvement in a scheme HMRC labelled as a tax avoidance initiative got him bumped off the list.
However now he has cleared his name of any wrongdoing, 46-year-old Beckham may be about to become a Sir.
A source told The Sun: “David, like many of the celebs embroiled with Ingenious, had no knowledge of what was going on at the time.
“His team first proactively approached HMRC almost two years ago, when David made his business independent, and then finally got it all settled, once and for all, this year.
“In 2013 David was told the only reason he was overlooked for a knighthood was because of the tax fiasco. Now it’s been cleared up, there is absolutely no reason for him not to be honoured.
“He would obviously be utterly thrilled with a knighthood – but is under no illusions and will only believe it when he sees it.”
Beckham was rejected the knighthood the first time round because he was involved in the Ingenious Media Scheme, which claimed to help fund filmmaking and reduce the tax liability of investors. However, HMRC labelled the scheme a method for tax avoidance and gave it a ‘red flag’ status.
Even though Beckham’s team said he had no idea the scheme was designed for tax dodging, his bid for a knighthood in 2013 was halted.
People up for getting knighthoods generally need to have “made achievements in public life,” and/or “committed themselves to serving and helping Britain,” according to the Gov.uk website.
It’s estimated that Beckham, who played for England for 13 years and was England Captain for six, has given around £50 million to charity across his lifetime.
He’s an ambassador for Unicef and was heavily involved in the UK’s 2012 Olympics bid.
But while the Sun source suggests Beckham is modest about his achievements, leaked documents in 2017 painted a different picture.
Documents obtained by the Football Leaks website claimed to show Beckham raging in 2017 about not having been knighted. He called his lack of knighthood a “f***ing joke.” However, his team has denied he ever sent the emails.
The full list of honours for the new year, including knighthoods and MBEs, will be published next week.
Related links:
- Piers Morgan attacks David Beckham for ‘attention-seeking’ Arsenal comment
- David Beckham has strict rules for his kids when it comes to dating – especially Harper
- David Beckham looks far from happy as he poses with Noel Gallagher
