It’s been a long time coming, but David Beckham’s dream of a knighthood has finally come true. The former England footballer was named in King Charles’ Birthday Honours list last week, where it was announced he would receive the title of Sir, while wife Victoria will be known as Lady.
However, the happy news has been tarnished by the ongoing family feud with eldest son Brooklyn. David will be invited to Buckingham Palace later this year to receive the honour, but the day won’t quite be what he imagined.
While David, 50, will celebrate with Victoria, 51, and their kids – Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13 – Brooklyn, 26, and his wife Nicola, 30, are not expected to join them.
‘David has waited for this moment for so many years – it’s his crowning achievement,’ we’re told. ‘He’s spent so much time dreaming of being knighted, mapping out how that day would go and how he’d celebrate with the entire family following the ceremony.’
The source continues, ‘Sadly there’s no question of Brooklyn being involved. The whole family is disgusted with him. It’s left a very dark cloud over everyone at the worst possible time. Barring some type of miracle there’s no way Brooklyn’s going to be there.’
As heat has previously reported, the family rift has been rumbling on for some time. Rumours of tension first began in 2022 in the lead up to Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding, amid reports that the bride chose to wear a Valentino dress instead of a VB design.
In the aftermath, both VB and Nicola played down notions of a feud, but rumours surfaced again at the start of the year, culminating in Brooklyn and Nicola being no-shows at David’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Since then, relations between them are said to have become so strained that they’re barely talking – with some reports claiming Brooklyn had cut off all contact and that he only found out about David’s knighthood through the media.
Our insider says, ‘The whole family is devastated by the current situation. The tension had been brewing for a while, but no one thought in a million years that it would turn this toxic. Victoria can’t fathom why Brooklyn hasn’t been in touch to apologise. She’s furious with him, but also heartbroken. And what makes it ten times worse is the fact it’s all playing out in public, with Brooklyn and Nicola being open about how hard done by they feel.’
David – who was awarded an OBE for services to football in 2003 – has made no secret of his desire for a knighthood. He was put forward in 2011 after he helped to secure the London 2012 Olympics, but was blocked from getting the title by the Honours Committee after questions over his tax arrangements.
Emails in which the ex-footballer expressed his anger at the committee, calling them ‘a bunch of c**ts’, were leaked in 2013, leading many to speculate he had all but scuppered his chances of a knighthood. But over the past decade, David – whose finances were cleared by HRMC in 2021 – has worked hard to put himself back in the running.
Always a vocal supporter of the monarchy, David queued for 13 hours to see the late Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in 2022. He was appointed an ambassador for the King’s Foundation last year, and – despite attending their wedding in 2018 wedding – has sought to distance himself from Prince Harry and Meghan in their rift with the royal family.
And his efforts have paid off, as he remains on the King’s radar, recently schmoozing with him and Queen Camilla at the Chelsea Flower Show. Charles was even heard asking David about a gift he’d sent – thought to be for his birthday – at the event.
But while his career is thriving, David’s personal woes continue. ‘For a family that prides itself on image and being perceived as a happy, loving unit, this is the very worst-case scenario they could be dealing with,’ our source says.
‘It breaks Victoria’s heart, but she’s so furious at Brooklyn for ruining his dad’s big moment. She’s digging deep and trying to keep calm and carry on – but it’s not easy.’
