They are OG showbiz royalty – literally sitting on thrones at their 1999 wedding, and once living in a mansion dubbed Beckingham Palace’ But a source tells heat that David and Victoria Beckham are hoping to move in even closer royal circles, thanks to the latter’s blossoming friendship with Prince William.
Former footballer David’s bond with the royal family has lasted more than two decades, with the 49 year old first meeting the late Queen in 2002 and receiving his OBE from her the following year. He later struck up a friendship with William, 42, and Harry, 40, after bonding with them over a shared love of football, and he and Victoria bagged an invite to their weddings in 2011 and 2018 respectively.
But while David and Victoria have cooled their relationship with the Sussexes, their friendship with William and wife Kate Middleton is going from strength to strength. Proving just how close he’s become with the future king, David recently fronted a charity campaign for the London Air Ambulance after being personally asked by William, and they appeared together last month to celebrate the charity raising £15million.
And now our source reveals the pair are planning to take their friendship outside of work, with talk of getting their wives on board for a double-date. Our insider explains, ‘David has been spending more and more time with William recently as they work together, and while they were friendly before, they’ve actually become proper friends in recent months. They enjoy talking all things family, work and football, and they have talked about getting together with Kate and Victoria when things calm down for them all. It would probably have to be done at one of their country homes as, with their high profiles, it would be too much to go out to a restaurant in London.’
And nobody’s more excited about these plans than Victoria, who’s over the moon about potentially becoming BFFs with the future queen. While Kate, 42, has shown her support for the former Spice Girl, 50, by wearing dresses designed by her, the pair don’t have the same close relationship as their husbands do – something Vic is keen to change. ‘Victoria is obviously thrilled about this as she hasn’t spent much time with Kate and wants to get to know her better,’ says the source.
While the Beckhams are delighted at this blossoming friendship, it also appears to signal the death knell for their other royal connection – their friendship with Harry and Meghan. The two couples were once famously close, with Victoria taking the Duchess under her wing when she first moved to the UK. But were said to have fallen out after Meghan accused Vic of leaking stories to the British press, leaving David ‘absolutely bloody furious’ on behalf of his wife.
And the Beckham children – Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 19, and Harper, 13 – are clearly clued-up on where the family loyalties now lie, with chef Brooklyn recently side-stepping a question about their reported fractured relationship with Harry and Meghan during a interview. He was asked, ‘Growing up, which members of the royal family did you see the most often? Especially since your family is friends with Harry and Meghan.’ Brooklyn answered ‘William’, adding, ‘He’s the sweetest guy ever, he really is down-to-earth. He’s a really good guy.’
The source adds, ‘Both Victoria and David are determined to make sure the royals know they are on their side, and they were very proud of Brooklyn for snubbing the question about Meghan and Harry – they don’t want anything to ruin this budding friendship.’
David has been spending an increasing amount of time with William in recent years. He joined him in a video call for the royals’ Heads Up mental health campaign in 2020, and was invited, alongside Romeo, into the royal box at Wembley Stadium to watch England face Germany at the Euros in 2021. And last year, David made an appearance at William’s Earthshot Awards in Boston, where he was spotted chatting away to the Prince and Princess of Wales. The royal couple are also believed to have been invited to Brooklyn’s wedding to actress wife Nicola Peltz in 2022, but did not attend. Meghan and Harry were noticeably missing from the guest list.
Our source says that, while Posh and Becks’ friendship with William and Kate is genuine, they’re also aware it won’t do their profile any harm – and might even help David’s hope of a knighthood. While both he and Victoria have OBEs for services to football and fashion respectively, it’s been reported for years that David is desperate to become a Sir, which would in turn make Posh a Lady.
Our source continues, ‘For the Beckhams, being friends with the future king and queen is the ultimate seal of approval and puts them up there with the British elite, which will benefit lots of areas in their life. First of all, it raises their status in America because despite Meghan and Harry’s efforts, the royals are still very popular over there – especially the future king and queen.
‘It also helps David’s dream of becoming a Sir and it’s surely only a matter of time before it happens. But they do genuinely like William and Kate and feel they understand each other. And they’re both happy to keep it under the radar as they don’t want to be seen as milking it, but Wills and Kate know they can count on their support.’