Applause for Sir Bobby Charlton's hearse at Old Trafford - as Prince William and Sir Alex Ferguson among those paying respect

Crowds applauded Sir Bobby Charlton's hearse as it stopped at Old Trafford - with Manchester United stars past and present gathering for his memorial service.

The football legend and England World Cup winner died aged 86 on 21 October, a few days after falling at his care home.

The Prince of Wales, Sir Alex Ferguson and Gareth Southgate joined current and former players to pay tribute at a service celebrating his life in Manchester Cathedral.

The funeral procession stopped briefly at Old Trafford, where Sir Bobby is immortalised in a statue alongside Denis Law and George Best.

Fans outside the stadium clapped for the club legend, who made 758 appearances and scored 249 goals for the team.

More supporters gathered outside the cathedral to see Sir Bobby's coffin taken into the service.

Former Man United captain Bryan Robson, speaking outside the cathedral, told Sky News that Sir Bobby should be remembered as a "fantastic player and a fantastic person".

Others there included Peter Schmeichel, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Prince William, who is president of the FA, also attended.

However, current Man United manager Erik ten Hag missed the service due to long-standing personal commitments in the Netherlands.

'I'm here because of Bobby'

Sir Alex, who managed Man United to 13 Premier League titles, told Sky News the service for the iconic player was "sombre".

"Personally, for me, I think I'm here because of Bobby Charlton," he said. "Absolutely, no doubt.

"The day we met for the first time and I explained to the board what I wanted to do, Bobby nudged them and said 'that's it'."

Sir Alex also said Sir Bobby was an "unbelievable" ambassador for football.

Sir Bobby was diagnosed with dementia in November 2020 - the same disease that affected his brother Jack, who died in 2020.

His death last month led to numerous tributes from across the footballing world, both in the UK and around the world.

Manchester United called him "one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club" and "a hero to millions".

He was also one of England's greatest footballers, playing 106 times for his country and scoring 49 goals.

Read more:
One of the great players and forever a gent of English football
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Sir Bobby was part of the team that beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley.

He was named player of the tournament and won the Ballon d'Or the same year.

The Northumberland-born player was renowned for his humility, discipline and sportsmanship - and was never sent off during his time as an England or Manchester United player.

He won the European Cup, three English league titles as well as the FA Cup.

Early on in his career, he also survived the Munich air disaster that killed 23 people including eight of his teammates.