King Charles III joked with David Beckham last night about England’s 1-0 defeat to Iceland, asking the former captain: ‘What was all that at Wembley?’
The monarch was all smiles with Beckham as they attended the inaugural King’s Foundation awards ceremony at St James’s Palace in London yesterday.
Charles and former Manchester United midfielder Beckham were both seen laughing and heard discussing England’s chances in the Euro 2024 championships.
Referring to England’s loss in a friendly to Iceland last Friday, Charles said: ‘What was all that at Wembley?’ Beckham replied: ‘I don’t think we should read much into it.’
Charles said: ‘It doesn’t really matter does it? It was a warming up sort of thing. You don’t want to expend it all in one go at the beginning.’
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King Charles III speaks to David Beckham at the King’s Foundation awards in London last night
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King Charles III and David Beckham discuss England’s 1-0 loss to Iceland in London last night
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King Charles III smiles in front of Sir Rod Stewart and David Beckham in London yesterday
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King Charles III poses with Sir Rod Stewart and David Beckham among other celebrities including Sienna Miller, Naomi Campbell and Edward Enninful at St James’s Palace last night
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Sir Rod Stewart holds a £10 note showing the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II as he jokes with a photographer, with Penny Lancaster (left) and Beckham (right) in London last night
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David Beckham smiles as he attends the King’s Foundation inaugural awards last night
Reassuring the King, Beckham said ‘we’ll be ready, Gareth (Southgate) will be ready’ to which Charles gave the former footballer a thumbs up.
The King was celebrating the work of his foundation alongside celebrity ambassadors who also included Sir Rod Stewart and Naomi Campbell.
Earlier, Sir Rod shared a joke with Beckham as he took to the stage to present an award and teased the former footballer that his knighthood was ‘coming soon’.
The singer, who is a supporter of the charity, attended the event with his wife Penny Lancaster who pecked the King on the cheek as she greeted him after the awards had been handed out.
Of his joke at Beckham’s expense, Sir Rod told reporters at the event: ‘Someone has to lighten the atmosphere in the room you know – he’s a good sport.’
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England boss Gareth Southgate speaks to Ivan Toney during the defeat to Iceland last Friday
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England’s Phil Foden (centre) appears dejected alongside Luke Shaw after last Friday’s match
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England’s Kyle Walker (left) and Phil Foden react after a missed chance at Wembley last Friday
Today, Kensington Palace revealed the Prince of Wales is to travel to Germany to cheer on the England team as they face Denmark in Euro 2024.
William, president of the FA, will watch Southgate’s side in their second Group C stage match at the Frankfurt Arena on June 20 – the day before his 42nd birthday.
The heir to the throne, who visited the squad to wish them good luck on Monday before they left for Germany, faced criticism in 2023 for not attending the England women’s team’s World Cup football final against Spain in Sydney.
It was the first time the Lionesses had reached the final of a World Cup, and the first time an England football team had competed in a World Cup final since the men’s side beat West Germany in 1966.
William presented shirts to the England men’s squad at the start of the week when he made a surprise visit to St George’s Park, England’s national football centre in Burton upon Trent.
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A photo released on June 1 of Charles with David Beckham, who was announced as a new ambassador for The King’s Foundation, at the Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire
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Charles talks with David Beckham and his son Brooklyn at the premiere of Netflix’s ‘Our Planet’ at the Natural History Museum in London on April 4, 2019
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Charles meets David and Victoria Beckham at Party in the Park in London on July 9, 2000
He also shared his youngest son Prince Louis’ advice, who suggested the players ‘eat twice the amount’ to secure their bid for Euros glory.
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Sienna Miller looks graceful in a purple dress as she cosies up next to King Charles III
The trip will be a solo one for William. The Princess of Wales is away from public duties at the moment while she continues her treatment for cancer.
With the fixture taking place on a school night, the Waleses’ children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis – are not expected to accompany him.
William, a passionate Aston Villa fan, will not be at England’s first match of the Uefa tournament – against Serbia – in person on Sunday, but he will undoubtedly be glued to the TV, watching the game.
The England men’s team reached the final of Euro 2020 only to lose on penalties to Italy, while they were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
