David Beckham spotted waiting 12 hours in line to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Football legend David Beckham was spotted queuing for over 12 hours to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II who lies in state at Westminster Hall in London.

The 47-year-old star was seen inside Westminster Hall at around 3:25 p.m. on Friday, more than 13 hours after he was first spotted in the queue, CNN reported.

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Footage shared on social media showed the former England captain bow his head in respect and wipe away tears.

As he stood in the public line to say his final goodbye, he was also seen talking to others around him.

The BBC reported that he and those around him maintained their energy during the wait by Pringles, sherbet lemon sweets, coffee and donuts.

Beckham was presented with an OBE by the Queen in 2003 for his services to football, the British broadcaster reported.

“It’s a sad day, but it’s a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she’s left,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“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,” he said.

The wait to see the Queen’s coffin hit 24 hours on Friday evening.

A surging tide of people - ranging from London retirees to the former England captain David Beckham - lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the five miles (eight kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament.

The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening.

And while Beckham was praised by many for queueing for over 12 hours to pay his respects, Twitter users hit out at Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby who reportedly cut in line to film a scheduled TV segment.

With The Associated Press

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