David Beckham has given up hope of being knighted in the near future in the wake of the furore over his leaked emails, friends have said.

The former England captain accepts he may have to wait until his 50s before the dust has settled enough for him to stand any chance of being considered by the honours committee.

Beckham, 41, was “red flagged” by HM Revenue & Customs when his name was put forward for a knighthood in 2013, because he had invested in a scheme that HMRC said amounted to tax avoidance.