Beckham will join Olympic officials at a handover ceremony in Athens on Thursday as the torch begins an 8,000-mile tour across England.

Organisers confirmed that the former England captain will carry the torch back to the UK on a flight on Friday, along with Princess Anne, chief organiser Sebastian Coe, Olympics minister Hugh Robertson and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Beckham was part of the delegation that helped London secure the Olympic Games ahead of the 2005 vote.

A total of 8,000 people will lift the torch during a 70-day relay that will begin in Cornwall, southern England, and reach the Shetland Islands, off Scotland's north coast.

The flame will eventually reach the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony on July 27.