It’s no secret that David Beckham has been vying for a knighthood for years, and now it appears his prayers have been answered. The former England captain, who has attended a string of royal engagements and charity events in recent years, will become ‘Sir’ in the King’s Birthday Honours list next week, the Sun reports.

Over the past few years ,he has struck up a close friendship with the 76-year-old monarch and his son, the Prince of Wales. He recently joined the King at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, was invited to his first Buckingham Palace State Banquet last year, and has made key contributions to charities linked to Charles and William.

While the Windsors are no doubt pleased with Beckham’s gong, there’s one royal who will be less than pleased by the news.

Prince Harry was also once close to the football legend, with Posh and Becks among the congregation at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding in 2018.

Beckham also flew to Sydney to support Harry’s 2018 Invictus Games - but this seems to be where their friendship started to go wrong as the Duke didn’t want his friend involved in photo-ops.

Since then Meghan accused the celebrity power couple of leaking stories about them, in a major deterioration of their friendship.

The two couples are now no longer on speaking terms, and Harry has watched from afar as his former pal enjoys close relationships with his estranged family.

The icing on the cake of the family drama came last month, when the Sussexes appeared to get involved with the Beckhams fallout with their son, Brooklyn Beckham.

The eldest son of Victoria and David, aged 26, is engaged in a long-running family feud with his parents and did not attend his father’s star-studded 50th birthday celebrations.

But Meghan and Harry appear to be on hand to help the feuding son, as they invited Brooklyn and his wife, Nicola Peltz, for dinner at their Montecito home last month.

The two women are said to have found “common ground” after they have both been accused of wrecking their husbands’ families.

Harry may well find Beckham’s knighthood a kick in the teeth as the football legend will no doubt continue to nail his colours to the past and support crown and country over a former senior royal who continues to make public attacks on the Royal Family - who are powerless to respond.

When I met the football legend at a royal engagement with Prince William last October, he was a bundle of energy and revelled in helping out his pal.

He revelled in the cause, which saw millions raised for two new London Air Ambulance helicopters, and the pairs friendship was plain for all to see.

Beckham’s gong is a long time coming and alongside his impressive right foot and charitable endeavours, his friendship with the Royal Family will long be remembered.