David Beckham's knighthood, conferred by King Charles at an investiture on 4 November 2025, is revealed to be the culmination of a 12-year campaign nicknamed "Project K", according to journalist Alison Boshoff's new book. The former footballer, described as a lifelong royalist with ambitions to be embraced by the establishment, called the honour more meaningful than any of his sporting achievements, and sources suggest the King had a personal wish to knight him himself rather than delegate the ceremony.

Boshoff credits much of the campaign's eventual success to Nicola Howson, former head of publicity at ITV, who joined Beckham's management team in 2018 after Simon Fuller's departure. With a background at PR firm Freuds and the Old Vic, and connections to bodies such as the World Economic Forum, Howson is said to have understood that Beckham needed to be recast from celebrity into a serious campaigner and change-maker to secure the honour. The book, "Brand Beckham", is published by Century on 13 August, priced £22.