David Beckham has been spotted queuing in London as he joined thousands waiting to see the Queen lying in state, sparking a backlog as fans mobbing the star forgot to keep moving forward.
The football star is said to have joined the queue at about 2am this morning and bought those around him doughnuts to keep them all going, MailOnline understands.
Images shared on social media show fellow members of the queue to Westminster Hall holding their phones in the air to capture a picture of the 47-year-old former footballer as he waited to pay his respects.
Some were so busy trying to snap a photo of the former footballer that they forgot to keep moving forward with the queue, leading to gaps emerging.
Mr Beckham could be seen smiling and was wearing full suit with a black tie and a blue soft cap on his head, perhaps for discretion.
MailOnline understands that the ex-England footballer joined the queue in the early hours of this morning and has been waiting in line ever since.
A source close to the footballer said he entered the line of people waiting to see the Queen lying in state at 2am this morning. They added he was able to stay under the radar until recently due to the ‘mutual respect’ everyone held for each other in the queue, which meant no photographs were taken of him.
He appears to be in the queue on his own.
One Twitter user said Beckham was ‘just a few lines behind us in the snake’.
They tweeted: ‘The Queue is now full of people trying to photograph David Beckham and forgetting to actually move onwards.
The footballer was spotted in a section of the queue which zigzagged up and down, making him easier to pick out
Beckham carried an umbrella and seemed unfazed as fans took photographs of him
David Beckham was spotted by fans who reported queuing for 12 hours to get into Westminster Hall
The ex-England player appeared relaxed and had his hands in his pockets at points during the queue
Mr Beckham, pictured in the blue cap, wore a full suit complete with black tie to the occasion
At times Beckham lowered his head as he passed others in the queue, his hat partially covering his face
People at Southwark Park, South East London join the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state
Thousands have already filed past the late Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall
Beckham spoke to ITV and Sky News while in the queue at Victoria Gardens, close to Westminster Hall
‘It’s madness!
‘I feel a bit sorry for him, but he’s taking it very well.
‘It’s made me almost forget that we’ve been in The Queue almost TWELVE HOURS though.’
David Beckham later spoke to ITV news on what he described as a ‘difficult’ and ‘sad’ day.
He told ITV News: ‘Probably the most special moment for me was when I received my OBE.
‘To receive my OBE, 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.
‘To step up, to get my honour, but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk, I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life, to be around Her Majesty.
‘Because we can all see with the love that has been shown, how special she is and how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind.
‘It’s a sad day, but it’s a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she’s left.’
He added: ‘Our thoughts are with the family, it’s very special to hear all of the stories from people here.
‘The most special moment for me was to receive my OBE. I took my grandparents with me who were huge royalists.
‘I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life to be around Her Majesty.”
‘It’s a sad day, but a day to remember.’
Beckham was praised by many people online after his presence became known for queuing alongside everyone else and keeping a low profile.
Author Caitlin Moran tweeted to her near 900,000 followers: ‘For David Beckham to come alone, and queue for ten hours, when everyone would recognise him, is pretty ballsy.’
Another social media user wrote: ‘Much respect and very well spoken in his respect for Her Majesty The Queen. Well done.’
A third quipped the former England captain looked like a ‘Peaky Blinder’, adding that the UK had ‘peaked’.
Other celebrities have also been spotted in the queue, including TV presenter Susanna Reid.
The Good Morning Britain anchor, 51, attended the historic event on Thursday with her mother Sue, and said she had ‘experienced a moment in history’.
Detailing her experience on Twitter, she said: ‘Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.’
Her posts also shared tips for others in the queue, saying: ‘If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 mins.
‘Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.
‘Don’t carry too much in a bag – water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route. Also plenty of toilets.
‘I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.
‘The first part of the queue is for wristbands. Ours were given out at Tower Bridge about an hour after we began queuing.
‘There is no queue jumping – people waited patiently for wristbands and once you have one you can leave the queue for snacks/loo stops & slip back in.’
Following the Queen’s death aged 96 last week, Reid was among the high-profile figures paying tribute to her.
Staff earlier closed and locked the gates to the park to temporarily prevent more people from joining the queue
Royal fans reportedly begged staff to let them inside the park to join the queue
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were spotted on the Westminster Hall live stream paying their respects earlier today
Good Morning Britain’s Susannah Reid has also filed past the Queen’s coffin as it lies in state
The government instructed the public to stop joining the queue shortly before 10am this morning
By 8am on Friday, the queue was already 4.9 miles long and queuing time was at least 11.5 hours. It later jumped to 14 hours
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: ‘No one more likely to be so loved, admired and respected than Her Majesty The Queen and although she cannot be immortal, I think we have always hoped she might be.’
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were also spotted at Westminster Hall as they paid their respects to the late monarch.
The presenting duo, who have been hosting special tribute editions of ITV’s This Morning to the late Queen this week, were dressed in black as they queued for the historic occasion.
Reality TV star Sharon Osbourne was also seen among the thousands of mourners.
On Friday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport paused the queue to Westminster Hall for ‘at least six hours’ after Southwark Park reached capacity, with the estimated queueing time for mourners having risen to at least 14 hours.
Some of those in the queue will witness the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a 15-minute vigil around their mother’s coffin at around 7.30pm on Friday.
For those who are not able to attend in person, a continuous livestream of the Queen lying in state has been set up by a number of broadcasters including the BBC and ITV.
Thousands have tuned in to watch mourners file solemnly past the coffin to pay their respects.
Earlier today the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced that the queue would be closed for ‘at least six hours’ as it reached capacity in Southwark Park.
But royal fans were seen continuing to enter the queuing area more than an hour after the announcement was made.
The queue for those with accessibility requirements later also closed.
Staff earlier closed and locked the gates to the park to temporarily prevent more people from joining the queue.