[ad_1]
King Charles has turned to the Beckham brand to help restore the reputation of his main charity following a prize money scandal.
Former England footballer David Beckham is to become an ambassador for the King’s Foundation, formerly the Prince’s Foundation, to help promote her work. Beckham met the monarch at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire last month, where he was given a private tour. The 49-year-old said he was looking forward to exploring a newfound shared interest with the monarch in rural skills, nature and the British countryside. They also exchanged beekeeping tips, Beckham said.
The foundation, which offers education programs to up to 15,000 people a year to create sustainable communities, has been embroiled in controversy after allegations of “access money” and allegations that then-chief executive Michael Fawcett offered to provide Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Murray Mubarak bin Mahfouz, knighthood and British citizenship in return for donations. At the time, Clarence House said the Prince of Wales was “unaware” of the allegations and Mahfouz denied any wrongdoing. The charity launched an investigation into the claims in 2021, and in 2022 the Metropolitan Police investigate. Last year she said she would take no action.
Beckham, who is said to have amassed a fortune of £455m with wife Victoria, has not made a donation to the foundation but will dedicate his time to promoting its work, joining other celebrity ambassadors including chef Raymond Blanc , The Great British Sewing Bee Patrick Grant and TV presenter Sarah Binny. The foundation is based at the King’s flagship restoration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, but also operates from Highgrove, various sites in London and locations overseas.
During his tour of Highgrove, Beckham met students taking part in woodworking courses at the Snowdon School of Furniture and embroidery students from the Métiers d’art Embroidery Fellowship.
Beckham later said: “Having developed a love of the countryside, I am also on a personal mission to learn more about the rural skills that are 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 to compare beekeeping tips.”
Beckham was appointed an OBE for services to football in 2003. There were claims that he was disappointed not to receive a higher honour. Leaked emails in 2017 suggested he was furious at being left off the 2014 honors list. He is said to have complained: “It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was an American I would have had something like this 10 years ago.” His representatives said at the time that the emails had been “redacted” and taken out of context.
Beckham has been criticized for his role as an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was paid around £150m for the job and accused of profiting from a country facing serious questions about its human rights record , including her attitude towards women and the LGBTQ+ community. He argued that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world and that hosting the World Cup in Qatar has stimulated debate on the issues.
after the promotion of the newsletter
Last week, Beckham has signed on as a global ambassador for AliExpressan online retail platform owned by Chinese technology group Alibaba and a sponsor of the Euro 2024 tournament, which starts this month.
[ad_2]
