Sir David Attenborough, 98, looks sprightly as he beams alongside David Beckham at Wimbledon-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

David Beckham and Sir David Attenborough are leading the way in the Wimbledon royal box (Picture: Reuters/PA Wire)

Sir David Attenborough was positively beaming as he joined David Beckham in the royal box at Wimbledon.

The 98-year-old broadcaster and naturalist was seen with his daughter Susan Attenborough as they arrived at the iconic venue in time for the first round match between Carlos Alcaraz and Mark Lajal.

Dressed in a sharp navy suit and patterned tie, Sir David was smiling as he took his seat.

The TV icon looked to be in great spirits, and exchanged a few words with retired football legend Beckham as they settled for the first day of action in the prestigious tournament.

In contrast, Becks sported a tan suit with a purple pocket square, looking suitably dashing for the occasion.

The two Davids – now there’s a double act – were leading the way in a star studded royal box, while the former Manchester United star was joined by mum Sandra.

The two Davids were in great spirits as they crossed paths (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

Sir David and his daughter Susan were in attendance (Picture: Reuters/Hannah McKay)

Sir David has plenty of history with Wimbledon (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

Attenborough’s ties to Wimbledon go back much further than most people realise, as he’s even the reason tennis balls are yellow.

Back in the late 1960s, he was working for the BBC as a controller tasked with bringing colour to TVs across the UK.

He was watching a tennis match and realised it was difficult to see the ball, which was either black or white at the time.

It was a family affair as Beckham was joined by his mum Sandra (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

Beckham was seen laughing after exchanging words with Sir David (Picture: John Walton/PA Wire)

In their book 2,2024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks, authors John Lloyd, James Harkin, and Anne Miller wrote: ‘Yellow tennis balls, which look better on colour TV, were the idea of David Attenborough when he was Controller of BBC2.’

In 2017, Sir David opened up about his key role in bringing colour TV to Wimbledon, and admitted he was ‘proud as a peacock’ for his achievements.

he told Radio Times: ‘It suddenly dawned on me that the one thing we did have was outside broadcast units. I thought, “Blimey, couldn’t we deploy them?” And then I thought of Wimbledon.

‘I mean, it is a wonderful plot: you’ve got drama, you’ve got everything. And it’s a national event, it’s got everything going for it. I was as proud as a peacock. It was absolutely terrific. It was a big moment in my life.’

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