"Everybody wants to be here to be a part of this experience" - England and Manchester United legend David Beckham waits over 12 hours in queue to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth 

Former England and Manchester United winger David Beckham has revealed that he had to wait for over 12 hours in a queue to pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II, whose coffin continues to lie in state at Westminster Hall.

On Friday morning (September 16), the Englishman was seen among members of the public waiting to view the coffin of the Queen, who died at age 96 on September 8. Beckham had to spend several hours in a long queue due to the massive crowd that turned up to pay homage to the ex-monarch.

Speaking to ITV (via Business Insider), the former England and Manchester United superstar revealed that he joined the queue as early as 2 a.m. He thought that that would help him avoid the crowd but was shocked to see that others had the same plan in mind. Beckham said:

"I thought by coming at 2 a.m. it was going to be a little bit quieter. I was wrong. Everybody had that in mind. The people here are all ages. There was an 84-year-old lady walking around. There was a 90-year-old gentleman walking around."

"Everybody wants to be here to be a part of this experience and celebrate what Her Majesty has done for us."

During his interview with ITV, David Beckham recounted his personal experience of meeting the Queen when he received his OBE. The honor is granted to people who have completed an 'outstanding achievement or service to the community', according to the BBC.

Recalling the experience, Beckham said:

"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."

David Beckham's numbers for England and Manchester United

The Englishman turned up to pay homage to the queen.

Beckham made a whopping 388 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions during his time at Old Trafford, recording 85 goals and 109 assists to his name. He also helped the Red Devils to claim multiple honors, including one Champions League crown, six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and four Community Shields.

For England, the former winger made 115 appearances, contributing 17 goals. He represented the national team at three FIFA World Cup tournaments and two UEFA European Championships. Beckham played his last official game prior to his retirement on July 1, 2013, turning out for Paris Saint-Germain.