Sir David Beckham has revealed that an impressed King Charles III complimented him on the suit he wore to his knighthood ceremony. The former England captain was knighted by The King at Windsor Castle on Tuesday after years of near misses.

He was recognised for his services to both sport and charity, having already been awarded an OBE in 2003. Beckham was accompanied by his parents and wife, Victoria, who he revealed played a special role by designing and making his dapper grey suit especially for the occasion.

Sir David is known for his stylish clothing choices, and was named most stylish man of the year by GQ magazine back in 1998. He has also modelled for the likes of H&M, Armani and Boss; however, he insisted that the King was his inspiration for the outfit – and that it made quite an impression on him.

Speaking after the service, Beckham told PA news agency: “He was quite impressed with my suit. He’s kind of the most elegantly dressed man that I know, so he inspired quite a few of my looks over the years and he definitely inspired this look.

“It was something that my wife made me. I looked at old pictures of him when he was quite young in morning suits and I was like, OK, that’s what I want to wear, so I gave it to my wife and she did it.”

Beckham, who won a total of 21 trophies in four different countries across his illustrious career, has now finally got the one medal which had proved to be elusive after missing out on a knighthood several times in the past.

The 50-year-old admitted that the honour is the biggest achievement in his life. “I’ve been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I’ve won and done what I’ve done, but to receive an honour like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive,” he added.

“To be honest, a young boy from the east end of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honoured by His Majesty the King – the most important and the most respected institution in the world – it’s quite a moment.

“This is without doubt my proudest moment.”

Beckham came up through the youth team at Manchester United and went on to make 394 appearances for the club. He moved to Real Madrid in 2003, and also played for LA Galaxy in America, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain before retiring in 2013.

The midfielder made 115 appearances for England, wearing the captain’s armband on 59 occasions. In that time, he scored 17 goals for England.

Alongside his football career, Sir David has supported a number of charity causes, including serving as a goodwill ambassador for the humanitarian aid organisation UNICEF since 2005.