Becks 'thought he was next Audrey Hepburn'

He's been in damage control after the release of expletive-ridden e-mails after he was overlooked for a knighthood and now new claims suggest David Beckham compared his work UNICEF to that of Audrey Hepburn's.

The 41-year-old is also accused of using his impressive Instagram following to try and "woo the establishment" with a series of "grovelling" posts dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, The Sun reports.

The publication adds the former footballer spent 18 months trying to win the approval of the Honours Committee, sharing a number of posts about the Queen with his 32 million followers.

“It’s incredible to see the lengths he went to," a source told the outlet.

Only eight weeks ago, David shared a short video of Audrey Hepburn which highlighted the work she did for UNICEF.

"Becoming an @UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador like #AudreyHepburn was one of the proudest moments of my life," David captioned the clip which showed the iconic actress talking about her work with the charity.

"Today @UNICEF is celebrating its 70th anniversary. They have done so much to help children around the world and will continue to work #foreverychild. #7fund," he added.

The Breakfast At Tiffany's star was a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF from 1988 until her death in January 1993.

David had shared numerous photos of the Queen over an 18 month period, wishing her a happy birthday and hailing her “truly incredible achievement” after she became the longest-serving monarch last September.

The father-of-three had branded knighthood organisers “unappreciative c***s” in a series of emails after missing out on becoming Sir David in the 2014 New Year's Honours list.

However a "red flag" warning was issued by British Revenue and Customs, crushing his knighthood dream, according to The Daily Telegraph.

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Initially the sportsman's nominated was "merited" in the eyes of the Honours Committee, however further knowledge of his involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme changed the outcome.

"HMRC gives us a flag; it's red, amber or green. Beckham was a red. His taxes were the problem," an insider told the publication.

While it's understood that the Honours Committee spoke to David's camp to "sort out" the issue, the star didn't appear to be impressed, and instead lashed out at the committee in the leaked emails.

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