Former England soccer captain David Beckham has been applauded for waiting in line to pay his respects to the Queen.
The 47-year-old was spotted on the streets of London earlier this week as he joined the hours-long queue to see her Majesty lying-in-state at Westminster Abbey.
Unlike other celebrities, former Manchester United striker Beckham did not receive VIP treatment or queue jump to pay his respects to the monarch but joined the thousands of others waiting in line - some for more than 24 hours.
He was first spotted joining the queue in the early hours of the morning, wearing a black hat and coat. The ex-footballer explained to ITV News that he hoped by arriving in the middle of the night he would miss the crowds.
"I thought by coming at 2:00AM it was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong. Everybody had that in mind," he said.
The Queen passed away on September 8 at the age of 96. She will lie in state at Westminster Abbey until Monday (September 19), when her state funeral will be held.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Beckham turned down an MP's offer to jump to the front of the queue and instead waited hours in line.
"David could have avoided all the queuing but he wanted to be like everyone else. He said his grandad wouldn’t have [jumped the queue] so neither would he," a source told the outlet.
Beckham went on to tell ITV about his own memories of the monarch, and the unforgettable moment that he met her when he was awarded an OBE for services to football in 2003.
"A special moment I'll always remember is receiving my OBE," he said. "I took my grandparents with me, who were the ones who brought me up to be a huge Royalist and a fan of the royal family.
"To step up, I have my wife there as well, to get my honor and to speak to Her Majesty. To ask a question. I was so lucky to have a few moments like that in my life. To be around Her Majesty. We can all see the love that is being shown how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind," he added.
"It's a sad day but it's a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she's left," Beckham concluded.
While the former pro waited hours in line to pay his respects, many other celebrities have been spotted cutting in at the front. UK breakfast show hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby have been blasted online for "queue jumping" in Westminster Hall.
Many outraged people took to Twitter to criticize Willoughby and Schofield - and praise Beckham.
"Who the **** do Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby think they are?! There's a 6-mile-long queue to pay respects to the Queen and they think its beneath them to queue 13 hours like David Beckham," one person tweeted.
"I have total respect for David Beckham who queued for 12 hours with everyone else, took photos with the public spoke to them and was a general nice guy unlike Phil and Holly who decided they where better than the public and bypassed the queue," added another.
"Respect to David Beckham who showed genuine emotion after queuing for hours to see the queen like everyone else, without using his celebrity status to get there faster," a third added.
The Daily Mail reports that Willoughby and Schofield "joined a separate queue for press and were taken into a press gallery".