The Beckhams’ £31.5million townhouse in West London may have once housed the entire family, but six inhabitants have now become three. After Brooklyn Beckham left Holland Park to make a life in LA with American wife Nicola Peltz, his youngest brother Cruz Beckham joined him in the entertainment hotspot last year to pursue his much-wanted music career. The Beckham nest is now totally devoid of sons, after second eldest Romeo Beckham recently moved three miles south to a Battersea apartment with now ex-girlfriend Mia Regan. That leaves just Victoria and David Beckham and their youngest child, daughter Harper.
In a wide-ranging interview with Vogue last week, designer Victoria revealed that she and former footballer David choose not to travel simultaneously, allowing for at least one of them to always be there for Harper, 12, in London. But with Victoria and David Beckham’s work commitments often preventing them being together, heat is told that she’s yearning for quality time with her husband more than ever.
A source close to Victoria adds it can be lonely for her, saying, “For years now, she and David have been living somewhat transatlantic lives due to how their businesses are in the UK, US and globally. While it probably looks to the world that she and David are living the high life and always loved-up somewhere, the sad truth is they struggle to get time together and everything has to be planned and coordinated in advance. When she does get time with David, she makes the most of it and puts such a huge effort into date nights and weekends.”
Family unity is at the core of Beckham life, which Victoria, 49, emphasised in her sit-down chat last week. “We’re a very close family,” she said. “We really value each other and time together. Even when we’re travelling, we make sure that we’re regularly communicating.” The mum of four offered a brief glimpse into how they achieve this – the family WhatsApp chat, which we can assume Harper is admin of after her mum revealed she set it up. It features frequent laughing emojis – “We’re all really funny, especially me,” Vic teased – and simply goes by the standard group name of “Beckham Family Chat”.
On the topic of family, she added, “Me and David like to not be away at the same time. One of us likes to be at home doing the school run, that kind of things.” But this can lead to David, 48, and Victoria being like ships in the night. “They have juggled their diaries so much in the last few years,” we’re told. “Sometimes it’s meant that one of them walks in the door from five days away and the other is heading out the door to the airport.”
But ensuring Harper’s happiness and safety is paramount for David and Victoria, especially after their reported break-in two years ago, and the fact their daughter is having to adapt to not having her siblings under the same roof. We’re told, “Now that Harper is nearly a teenager, you’d think David and Victoria would have more freedom, but they are extra-vigilant about being there for her. She’s now the only child living at home, and she misses her brothers and the chaos of a full house desperately. They’re really trying to make sure she isn’t affected too much, and making sure there’s lots of family around, as well as friends.”
The beginning of 2024 has already seen David and Victoria catch numerous solo flights for work, leaving the other in London with Harper. Victoria celebrated her collection with Breitling in New York at the start of the month, before travelling to Los Angeles to support daughter-in-law Nicola at the premiere of her directorial debut Lola.
Meanwhile, David jetted to Paris for the NBA in January, a trip that was followed up with a tour of Asia, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand. There, he carried out work as Adidas’ brand ambassador of the Predator football boot, and attended the Adidas Malaysia Women’s Football Programme. And last week, the footballing legend hobnobbed with film stars at the BAFTAs, sharing highlights with his 87million followers, while his wife skipped the event to stay home.
And the more it feels like she and David are leading separate lives, the more important it is for Victoria to plan in family time.
“The boys moving out left Vic a little brokenhearted. They’re at the age when they are so excited by having their own lives that she really has to entice them away – and they’re not good at planning in advance,” our source says.
“She knows she has to make the family get-togethers extra special, so they are something they all look forward to, rather than being seen as an obligation. For Vic, the one thing missing in her life, that all the money in the world can’t buy, is time together with people she loves.”