Dan Walker has defended David Beckham after someone claimed he visited the Queen’s coffin for ‘exposure’, while praising him for the hours he spent in the queue.
Today, the former professional footballer was among the members of the public who waited in the line leading up to Westminster Hall to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96.
Having been queuing for 13 hours, Beckham, 47, looked visibly emotional in the historic hall on the BBC livestream, as he appeared to wipe away a tear before bowing his head before the coffin.
While numerous people praised the ex-England captain for joining the queue to honour the late monarch, some naysayers expressed their opinion that he did so for attention.
After former BBC Breakfast presenter Walker tweeted: ‘Fair play to David Beckham for joining the #queueforthequeue. 12 hours plus apparently to pay his respects,’ one person replied: ‘Had to show his face didn’t he, any chance of exposure.’
The Channel 5 news presenter had a quick-witted response, writing: ‘Have a word with yourself Chris. He’s been there since 2am this morning. If he wants headlines he pops to the chippy in his PJs.’
Someone else wrongly remarked that Beckham wouldn’t be ‘waiting for long’ in the queue, insinuating that he would skip the line because he’s famous.
Walker corrected their inaccuracy, writing: ‘He’s been queuing since 2am this morning Glyn.’
‘My apologies, I take my comment back,’ the Twitter user responded.
Following the Queen’s death, Beckham shared a lengthy tribute to her on social media, saying he felt ‘truly saddened’.
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‘What an outpouring of love and respect we saw for the Platinum Jubilee for her life of service,’ he wrote at the time.
‘How devastated we all feel today shows what she has meant to people in this country and around the world. How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough.
‘Until her last days she served her country with dignity and grace. This year she would have known how loved she was. My thoughts and prayers are with our Royal Family…’
This week, Walker also came to the defence of Prince Harry and Meghan, after some people questioned why the couple were holding hands during a procession for the Queen at Westminster Hall.
‘I think his grandmother may have just died Sandy! He’s probably not having the best week,’ he responded directly to someone who criticised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The Queen is due to remain lying in state until Monday morning, before her funeral takes place, which will see her coffin transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
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