David Beckham and the King Exchanged ‘Beekeeping Tips’ During Gloucestershire Meeting
David Beckham recently met with King Charles in Gloucestershire, where the two discussed beekeeping tips ahead of Beckham’s appointment as an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, via BBC. The former England football captain was officially announced as a supporter of Charles’s charitable organization following this private meeting, where he gained insight into its operations.
Beckham expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, stating: “I’m excited to be working with the King’s Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity’s work. I’ve always been keen to help young people expand their horizons, and I’m particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation’s education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature.”
Photos released to commemorate the announcement show Beckham with the King at the entrance of Highgrove, Charles’s Gloucestershire retreat, and trying his hand at carpentry alongside foundation students at the Snowdon School of Furniture. The foundation, which oversees the Highgrove Gardens, offers workshops, programmes, and short courses focused on heritage and craft skills at its Barley Court education centre within the estate, told the Mirror.
In addition to its educational programmes aimed at preserving traditional skills, the foundation, headquartered at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, works to rejuvenate communities through urban regeneration and planning, support sustainable food production, and impart rural skills.
Beckham also shared his personal connection to the foundation’s mission: “Having developed a love for the countryside, I’m also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills, which is so central to the foundation’s work. It was inspiring to hear from the King about the work of His Majesty’s foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens – and compare beekeeping tips!”
The football icon has been vocal about his new passion for beekeeping since acquiring a converted barn in the Cotswolds. Beckham frequently shares his beekeeping adventures on social media. On World Bee Day last year, he posted an Instagram video tending to a beehive and in another post, posed next to a hive with the advice, “Be kind & they will be calm.”
Joining the ranks of other notable ambassadors for the foundation, such as The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh, and property guru Sarah Beeny, Beckham continues to make his mark beyond the pitch.
Since marrying former Spice Girl and now esteemed fashion designer Victoria Beckham in 1999, the celebrated midfielder has expanded his portfolio, including co-owning the US football team Inter Miami, which famously signed Lionel Messi last summer.