'Sir Bobby' Charlton remembered by fellow soccer legends, royalty

Prince William headed the list of dignitaries who attended the funeral of Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton on Monday in England.

The future king of England attended the service at Manchester Cathedral in his role as president of the Football Association.

Charlton, who was widely regarded as the greatest English soccer player in history, died last month. He was 86.

Around 1,000 guests, including former teammates and leading sporting figures, attended his funeral, while fans paid their respects outside United's Old Trafford and the cathedral in the city centre.

Fan Derek Pratt said he travelled more than 160 kilometres from Hertfordshire to say farewell to "a real gentleman."

"He [Charlton] didn't really want the limelight, he just got on with things," Pratt said. "He was just a really nice person. If there were more Bobby Charltons in the world we would have a nicer place."

The funeral cortege began at Old Trafford, where it passed through a guard of honour made up of United's academy teams. At the cathedral, guests included former United manager Alex Ferguson, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and England coach Gareth Southgate.

Charlton's iconic status meant he was revered by fans around the world as an ambassador of the game.

"When talking about the man, you never needed to say anything other than Sir Bobby — everyone around the world knew who you were talking about, no surname needed," said former United CEO David Gill in a tribute at the service.

Charlton played for United from 1956-73, making 758 appearances. He scored 249 goals for the club and won three league titles, the FA Cup and the European Cup.

Charlton survived a plane crash in 1958 that decimated a United team that seemed destined for