“Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour,” Beckham said in a statement issued to the Press Association on Friday.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment.”
Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, will also take the title of sir after being recognised for his services to charity and music in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours list.
The 81-year-old singer has been a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000, holding fundraising concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades.
“It’s kind of weird, but I am deeply honoured to get this, especially for the charity for the Teenage Cancer Trust, and I accept it on their behalf really, because this honour is really for all unsung heroes,” the My Generation singer told the Press Association.
“It’s a dream come true for me, but it’s especially a dream because the charity means so much.”
Oldman, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in 2017’s Darkest Hour, also received a knighthood for his services to drama.
The 67-year-old’s films have earned more than US$11 billion ($18.3b), and his credits include the Harry Potter series, The Dark Knight Trilogy and Air Force One, with cameo appearances in sitcom Friends and music videos for David Bowie and Guns N’ Roses.
Stage star Elaine Paige, who played Eva Peron in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, and novelist Pat Barker have both been made dames.
Barker is known for her World War I Regeneration Trilogy, the first book of which was turned into a Hollywood film starring Jonathan Pryce.
Beckham’s knighthood is the culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football and turn himself into a global icon at the intersection of sport, fashion and business.
The honour, one of the highest bestowed by the British state, “is a powerful symbolic marker”, Marie Agnes Parmentier, professor of marketing at the University of Montreal and author of several papers on “Posh and Becks”, explained to AFP.
Even at the height of his football career, Beckham was building his global brand with a view to his retirement.
His appearance in a sarong, revelations that he used makeup and his eccentric hairstyles were all feverishly gobbled up by Britain’s tabloid press.
He also had to overcome the tag as England’s “most-hated man” after being sent off during the 1998 World Cup in a knockout game against Argentina.
Beckham is understood to have been on the verge of receiving a knighthood after helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
But British authorities placed a red flag on his nomination because of his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme, according to previous reports. He was subsequently cleared.
– Agence France-Presse
