David Beckham stood in line for 12 hours to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state
Former soccer star David Beckham described his feelings about Queen Elizabeth II while waiting in line to pay his respects to the country's long-serving monarch, who died Sept. 8 at the age of 96.
Hundreds of thousands waited in line for hours as Elizabeth lied in state at Westminster Hall in London before her funeral begins on Monday.
Beckham, wearing a blue hat and black coat, said he joined the queue at 2 a.m. local time and gave his thoughts about the Queen, spending at least 12 hours in line along with others.
"I thought by coming at 2 a.m. it was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong," he said. "Everybody had that in mind."
David Beckham telling us what it’s been like waiting 12 hours to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II @BBCPolitics @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/EXkmEx0S3s
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Beckham went on to say that everyone is line was there to "experience and celebrate what Her Majesty has done for us."
"So 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, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today," he said.
"The most special moment for me was to receive my OBE," he added. "I took my grandparents with me, who were the ones that really brought me up to be a huge royalist and a fan of the royal family, and obviously I had my wife there as well."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Beckham waited 12 hours in line to see Queen Elizabeth in state